“An Artist, a Politician, and a Journalist Walk Into a Bar …,” this was the title of a 2017 forum organized by
Paula Minelgaite in collaboration with ACED, an institute for design, art and journalism. Working under the moniker Minelgaite studio, Paula is a British trained Lithuanian graphic designer and researcher who examines the role of visual communication in constructing ‘truths’ and the consequences of that. In her own projects, such as
Brexit: Why Did It Happen?, she often picks up subjects that are in the news and uses a combination of journalism and graphic design to deconstruct and then highlight the contradictions as well as complexities of issues at hand. In 2017, Paula founded the
House of Common Affairs, an imprint that works in collaboration with cultural and educational proponents such as architects, artists, designers, journalists, and institutions. Since 2018, the House of Common Affairs publishes an annual journal of the same name that provides an opportunity to challenge the niche and yet popular field that exists in the overlap between the arts and journalism. Titled
The Fourth Estate Utopias, the journal’s first issue problematizes graphic design education and professional practice, illustration, and the way people’s understanding of reality might be shaped by communication.
This is the third event within a small lecture series called Betweeners, supported by the ZHdK-AVINA Student Project Fund. Organized by Corinne Gisel (student MAE Kulturpublizistik / co-founder common-interest, Basel) and Nina Paim (co-founder
common-interest, Basel), the series brings together three designer-led initiatives who operate in between disciplines, in between cultures, and mediate between issue-driven contents and different publics.
The lecture will be held in English, followed by an informal Q&A.
The event is free of charge and some drinks and snacks will be served after the talk.