New Models is a lecture series organised by the Architectural Association School of Architecture, that invites interdisciplinary practitioners whose disruptive work proposes new models for thinking and living in this world. The featured conversations will unfold the underpinning systemic complexities of power structures, socio-economic forces and cultural values that contribute to the existing structural inequalities within society at large, to share their new perspective on how to rethink what figures as the established status quo.
The events of 2020 bring into stark relief the interdependencies of multiple, ongoing emergencies facing life on this planet: the COVID-19 global pandemic and its socio-economic fallout, deep ecological breakdown, the epidemic of systemic racism and the rise of Western authoritarianism are connected crises. They represent global systems in decline, the transformation of which require radical co-ordinated action across all sectors of society, and at multiple scales. For those working towards decarbonisation—contingent on industrial strategies grounded in equity, justice and care—raising impact-oriented capital for purpose-driven technologies, re-framing social narratives and facilitating collaborative and diverse approaches to policymaking are urgent tasks for a post-COVID 19 world. What role can design play?
Our CEO, Natsai Audrey Chieza, in her talk on the New Model for Ecology, shared our studio’s vision for design constituting a strategic role in shaping these new narratives.