This issue examines the way artists and designers reorganise the social space by developing, designing and offering alternative structures, communities and alliances.
In light of digital media and global structures the social environment is redefined, and in that context flexible and interactive forms of cultural production become necessary. These subsystems are as it were semi-permeable with existing structures and find a middle ground between individual and collective, autonomous and “bound” creativity.
Working in and with a social context, and primarily focused on developing creative strategies for dealing with social or political issues. Perhaps it is by using alternative structures, by creating a more or less autonomous zone that that draws over or withdraws from the existing national or global programs in the social sphere, it becomes possible to influence the forces of politics and society.
Even so, the question is thus whether the necessary ‘critical distance’ can be maintained, and whether artists and designers do not become synonymous with the systems for which they try to formulate an alternative.
With contributions by BLESS, Experimental Jetset, Felix Janssens, N55 & Lars Bang Larsen, L.A. Raeven, Siebe Thissen
Edited by Lisette Smits
Design by Stèphanie de Vilder
PRD