On the 6th of October at 20:00h, Art Gallery in Split will host the exhibition Speculative – post-design practice or new utopia? with which the Republic of Croatia presented itself at the recently closed XII Milan Triennale. The exhibition, whose curatorial concept is signed by Ivica Mitrović and Oleg Šuran, was organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Croatian Designers Society (HDD), presents the works in the field of speculative design and art practice of authors such as Lina Kovačević, Robert Čanak, Anselmo Tumpić, Nikola Bojić, Damir Prizmić, Ivica Mitrović, Oleg Šuran, Nina Bačun and Anders Mellbrat.
The exhibition is also an introduction to a series of public events on the subject of speculative design, including a new workshop from the cycle Interactions of the Department of Visual Communication Design of the Arts Academy in Split, which this year deals with the topic Speculative now! and an international conference titled Speculative Design in the Real World.
Visiting Split between 17 and 22 October to hold lectures and workshops are: James Auger (Crap Futures), Demitrios Kargotis (DashnDem), Pedro Oliveira and Luiza Prado (A Parede), Regine Debatty (we-make-money-not-art), Matt Ward (Goldsmiths) and Mirko Balducci (Nefula).
Speculative design is a critical design practice that comprises or is in relation to a number of similar practices, such as critical design, design fiction, design futures, anti-design, radical design, interrogative design, discursive design, adversarial design and so on. The focus is on a discursive activity founded in critical thinking and dialogue which questions design practice. However, speculative design approach takes the critical practice a step further, towards imagination and visions of possible scenarios. Through its imagination and radical approach, by using design as a medium, speculative design forces one to think – raises awareness, questions, provokes action, initiates discussions and perhaps even offers some alternatives that are essential for the today’s world
All the events are supported by the City of Split and the Ministry of Culture of Croatia, and take place in collaboration of DVK UMAS, Platform 9.81, Gallery of Arts and Croatian Designers Society.
