The Necessary and the Contingent: Multi-Disciplinary Design for Social Change

Design activism is an ever-expanding, dynamic field that utilizes design for the promotion of social change, challenges cultural taboos, and increases education around essential but under-discussed topics. The menstrual taboo is a global phenomenon that impacts the health and wellbeing of millions of menstruators; the REDD Centre was thus conceptualized to combine multi-disciplinary expertise in key areas in the healthcare, biomedical, and fine arts fields with design activism. This article sets the scene and provides context for the current REDD Centre projects and influence upon and by the local Novocastrian/New South Wales community of Menstruators, and the increasing international scope of our projects in educational, scientific, and artistic spheres.