“Design was never colonized, it is a tool of colonization.” — Elaine Lopez
Acknowledging the reality of the colonized aspects of the current design industry, "Lateral Thinking: Decolonizing Design Education" is an attempt to revisit the typical design education to advocate for a more inclusive learning experience.
This project consists of three main parts: a re-imagined design curriculum, course outlines, and visual explorations. The curriculum demonstrates an educational experience that focuses on proposed principles of a decolonial design practice by suggesting a list of courses and programs that aim to decenter the Eurocentric focus in design education. The course outlines take a more in-depth approach to how decolonization can be implemented in a specific course through two lesson plans, each for a studio course and an academic course. In addition to the newly envisioned program, the series of visual explorations study and demonstrate what design could potentially look like as an outcome of this overall educational experience.
To bring in various perspectives on the topic of decolonization, "Lateral Thinking" was made in collaboration with students, recent alumni, and faculty, both within and outside of MICA.