Who can Afford to be Critical?

Afonso Matos is a Portuguese designer and researcher who is based in The Netherlands. This book is a collection of fanzines inspired by conversations and texts around four main themes: the bubble of the (critical) design school; the power of design and the agency of designers; the nature of design; and collective power. Included are excerpts from Matos’ thesis on the use of design as a social critique and agent of change, his transparent disclosures and personal investigation into the impact of privilege on critical design, as well as the contributions from Silvio Lorusso, J. Dakota Brown, Marianela D’Aprile, Somnath Bhatt, the DAE students of 2021/2022, and many more.