Designing the Social
3 July 2021 - 1 June 2024
Feminist Design Strategies
This room is no longer on show in the museum
For a long time, the (his)story of architecture, urban planning and design seemed to be a matter for white men. Other voices, such as those of women 'herstories' remained grossly underexposed. During the second feminist wave (1968-89) countless networks and initiatives had formed in the Netherlands that fought this distorted image.
The Vrouwen Bouwen Wonen ('Women Building Housing') network, the Sister Outsider collective, and a publication like Zwart aan Zet ('Black Moves') illustrate the diversity of approaches and powerful design strategies intended to reshape society.
Under the heading of solidarity, the women's movement manifested itself in all kinds of social areas. Yet equality was not guaranteed even within their own circles. Women of colour, or women who did not belong to the majority because of sexual orientation or religious beliefs, had to fight for recognition. The research presented here highlights collectives for whom the struggle against the oppression of women was linked to the resistance against other forms of discrimination. Such an intersectional approach, characteristic of current feminism, was not self-evident for this particular generation.
The period 1968-89 clearly showed how the highly personal and the political are intertwined. And how important networking and self-organisation are to escape patriarchal structures. The feminist design strategies focused on the exchange of knowledge and skills, on protest actions, publication and construction activities. Dutch archives, including the National Collection at Het Nieuwe Instituut, bear witness to both quiet and openly expressed oppositions to the status quo and the way the social system in the Netherlands was designed.
Today, these herstories are as urgent as ever. They give insight into practices based on designing equality, by first acknowledging each other's differences and multivocalities, to fight all forms of oppression.
Building
Pagina van plakboek “Werk_Arbeid Dossier: Feministiese woninganalyse” door Lidewij Tummers, 1986. Bron: Archief Vrouwen ...
➝ Read more(Re)claiming
Groep bij de Homodemonstratie Roze Zaterdag, 1989, foto: Sjan Bijman. Bron: Collectie IAV-Atria Identifying...
➝ Read moreNetworking, Amplifying
Groepsportret collectief Sister Outsider, leden van links naar rechts: Tania Leon, Gloria Wekker, Joice Spies, Tieneke S...
➝ Read moreListening
Groep vrouwen bij de Vrouwenstaking met het spandoek “Vrouwen staken tegen abortus wet”, 1981, foto: Maya Pejic. Bron: C...
➝ Read morePosting
“Zwarte vrouwenvriendschappendag”, Vrouwencultuurgroep ROSA, Utrecht, 1986, ontwerp: Mora h. s. Ducastel. Bron: Collecti...
➝ Read moreMapping
How to map a movement? Was there one feminist movement, or many? Were some in dialogue and others not? Was there really ...
➝ Read moreWording
Informatieblad van Translation Collective [Vertaalcollectief] De Bron, 198?, geprint door Vrouwendrukkerij Las Muchachas...
➝ Read moreRecap Feminist Assembly Month
In September 2022, Het Nieuwe Instituut organised a series of activities with the aim of bringing together different gen...
➝ Read moreConcept and design: Tabea Nixdorff Research and texts: Tabea Nixdorff, Setareh Noorani