Utopia/Dystopia: An Experiment in Design Journalism

In seeking to explore new possibilities for the application of design and to expand its traditional purview, especially in the realm of visual communications, the following thesis is woven of three main threads of concern: Orientation toward the near-future, an experimental approach to narrative, and the attempt to use design to engineer debate rather than engineer agreement.

In this project I have taken on the dual role of maker and curator. The exhibition work involves motion animation pieces, including sound, as well as print work, all surrounding the theme of bio-technological innovation. Utopia/Dystopia is formed to align with its conceit; the viewer is walking into a future-history retrospective of historically important or representative visual ephemera anchored to the burgeoning biotechnical revolution. The exhibition is titled Utopia/Dystopia: The Early Years of the Bio-Tech Age, 2000-2025. It consists of a retrospective of collected visual and design ephemera representing recent important historical milestones and changes of the 'past' 25 years in a culture grappling with rapid bio-technological advancement. In alignment with the conceit, the exhibition was 'curated' according to the notion that a survey of historically-anchored visual items, from product advertisements to commemorative stamps to spoof ads to bumper stickers, provides a fresh and unique perspective on an issue and a cultural moment, imparting an understanding of which only awareness of the visual landscape as opposed to a philosophical, ethical or purely factual comprehension is capable.

The following thesis explores this territory of near-futures, and delves into the decisions and research that culminated in specific pieces in the exhibition. In its initial pages, this paper also traces foundational connections between design, design journalism, and values capable of guiding design activities.