May 31st 2021
Listen to the archive of the talk on Institutional Solidarity hosted by DIWAN together with Disarming Design.
May 27th 2021
Join the students of Disarming Design on a talk about Institutional Solidarity hosted by DIWAN on Friday May 28, 2021 from 18.30 – 20.30 CEST. The event will be moderated by members of DIWAN, PUB radio and Sandberg students.
For this event, we are being hosted by PUB radio, a trans-departmental initiative funded and run by students of the Sandberg Institute. You can listen to the conversations via pub.sandberg.nl. If you want to engage directly with the conversations or ask questions you can join us via Zoom.
May 19th 2021
Statement read at the Kaleidoscope? 3 lecture by Flavia Dzodan and Daniel van der Velden
The momentum which started with social media documentation of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in East Jerusalem (Sheikh Jarrah) has catalyzed a historical moment which is ripe for transformation
For the first time in 73 years of occupation the world is uniting to call Israelis apartheid, settler colonialism, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians people for what it is.
It is simple, staying neutral in situations of oppression puts you on the side of oppressor. It is the responsibility of every individual who is alive to witness this injustice to speak out in the noble plight of liberating the Palestinian people. As individuals we must pressure and hold institutions accountable to explicitly speak out against the Israeli apartheid and take a hard stance against any individual or company who is in any way invested in the apartheid.
Need I remind you it was the peaceful BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) which succeeded in liberating South Africa from the Apartheid in 1961. An effective method which is now being criminalized by places such as Germany and the US.
The most powerful countries and companies in the world work relentlessly to sheild Israel from all consequences while financially supporting its war crimes.
To the Sandberg Instituut and every other so called Liberal institution: You cannot pontificate about decolonial theory while ignoring the largest contemporary example of colonialization. We will not stand by and watch “decolonization” be reduced to a trend by educational elitism. We are asking you NOW to sit amongst yourselves and release a statement standing against Israelis apartheid, settler colonialism, and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Not just reposting infographics on Instagram story or cute graphic artworks. MAKE A public commitment against the occupation and post it on social media, share it via email, and actualize anti colonial practices in a tangible way.
Palestine will be free and now is the moment for you to decide which side of history you will be on.
May 17th 2021
OPEN LETTER TO SANDBERG AND RIETVELD
Dear Executive Board of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie,
In light of the current international movement for the liberation of Palestine, and the historical and monumental reclamation of established discourses and narratives, we, the students of the Disarming Design Department at Sandberg Institute, find it immoral that Sandberg and Rietveld have remained publicly silent so far. You claim to teach decolonial theory and yet have failed to take even the smallest of action in solidarity with Palestine.
This year, your lack of action is more problematic than ever, given, as you have stated officially before, our department 'is derived from the long-term collaboration between the Design Department and the design platform ‘Disarming Design from Palestine’, which is committed to design practices that deal with conditions of conflict, oppressive forces and entangled histories.'
We ask you to condemn the settler-colonial genocidal entity that is the "state of Israel", that is committing crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and human rights violations as we speak. There can be no neutral position today. It is very simple. Silence aligns you with the oppressor.
We demand your immediate action through a public statement on all social media platforms and the institutions’ websites at the very least. Decolonial theory is nothing without decolonial practice.
Sincerely,
The students of Disarming Design
Sign the letter here.