Brutal Beauty: Violence and Contemporary Design

Whether in political conflicts or conflicts in everyday life – the subject of violence is ever-present. Against the background of international terrorism and the current streams of refugees from war zones, the subject is more topical than ever.

But how do designers deal with violence? What responsibility do they bear, and which possibilities for action do they open up in this highly dynamic process? Marta Herford introduces a whole new generation of designers whose designs and strategies are making violence visible in order to take a stance against the often devastating worldwide developments now and in the future. They are no longer concerned solely with the design of the perfect product, but rather with shaping social processes. As an engine for participation or inclusion, design can thus be understood as the opposite to submission (Vilém Flusser).

The exhibition also points up the dark side of design. Although design is meant to serve humans in a wide variety of ways, if we look more closely, violence and design are like Siamese twins. Because, at the latest in the production stage, a material is – brutally – forced into a particular shape. In addition to this, a lot of product developments have military origins. The ugly face of design is ultimately exposed when things are no longer usable and have to be disposed of.