Kenneth Bailey is the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention (ds4si). His interests focus on the research and development of design tools for marginalized communities to address complex social issues. With over three decades of experience in community practice, Kenneth brings a unique perspective on the ethics of design in relation to community engagement, the arts and cultural action. Projects he has produced at ds4si include Action Lab (2012- 2014), Public Kitchen (2011-2018), Social Emergency Response Center (SERC) (2018) and People’s Redevelopment Authority (2018). Kenneth was recently a Visiting Scholar in collaboration with University of Tasmania and also a founding member of Theatrum Mundi NYC with Richard Sennett.
Kenneth Bailey will lead a discussion about new creative strategies for social change. He explains, “In 2018, the scale of systemic attacks on immigrants, the environment, young people, Muslims and public systems at large has been devastating. We believe what we are seeing now is the new normal—not individual moves that outrage us and demand protest, but a systemic move towards heightened repression, state violence, terror and hatred towards communities of color. When we respond to each new atrocity with the force it deserves—but with the approach that each atrocity is an individual one—we become emotionally drained and too worn out to imagine new solutions. To move away from a case-by-case treatment towards more sustainable practice-building, Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI), an artistic research and development organization dedicated to changing how social justice is imagined, developed, and deployed, is asking local organizing groups and artists to find more creative and commensurate ways to address this new reality to create the conditions that will help us collectively strengthen our efforts—emotionally, spiritually and strategically.”