José Bártolo

Design in the Expanded Field

May 5, Thursday, 9.30 am

One of the principal assumptions or theoretical thesis behind contemporary critical practice is that design can be identified as a subject in its own right, independent of the various areas in which it is applied to practical effect. If we put the focus in design as an activity, we must ask what happens in design practice, what characterizes its processes and methods. Now days, design is not only the site of important social, economic and political praxis, but equally an interface or mediation process for questions of identity, representation and redefinition of social models. This “expanded” (Rosalind Krauss) conception, as observed in art of the 70’s, strikes again. Contemporary designers generate their own context and rules, and navigate the world through an array of sampled media, methods, styles, and ideas. It’s hard to know where graphic design is going, what we do know is that it’s on the move.

José Bártolo. Professor and Head of the Scientific Board at ESAD, Escola Superior de Artes e Design (Matosinhos, Portugal). José holds a Ph.D in Communication Sciences (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2006), a Masters in Aesthetics (UNL, 1999), and a Bachelor in Philosophy (UNL, 1994).José is also a Researcher and Member of the Scientific Board of CEC/UNL, and Professor at the School of Architecture of the University of Porto. His professional activity includes research, critical studies and curatorship in the fields of Art and Design since 1998. He has collaborated with institutions such as IADE, FEUP, ExperimentaDesign, CEMES, and the British Council, and was guest curator at the London Design Festival in 2008. José is a member of the editorial board of Resdomus e Revista de Comunicação e Linguagens, and is editor of the books Corpo e Sentido (Livros Labcom, 2007) e Design (Relógio d’Água, 2010). His research and curatorship interests include language theory, disruptive narratives, contemporary political devices, and collaborative processes in contemporary Art and Design.