Designing for Terror: building security through culture

HOFFERT Bernard
2005 Conference

Art and design have historically been linked with political unrest, as propagandist, as critic, as documenter. The huge emphasis on security in the post 911 political environment, has provided new opportunities for art and particularly design, to contribute to a secure world, in the process of supporting oppressed and potentially disenfranchised social groups. This paper argues that by integrating cultural support projects involving art and design into national security policy, governments can address the root causes of terrorism, rather than responding to the terror of its impact.