Overview

This theme explores how empires — past and present — shape design, urban form, and cultural imagination. It connects material culture to political ambition, and shows how memory is crafted through buildings, exhibitions, and visual media. Design is not just functional; it's ideological — reflecting imperial hierarchies, asserting narratives of power, and lingering in public space long after formal empires collapse. Through case studies from Europe, Asia, and post-colonial landscapes, this guide examines how imperial legacies continue to influence identity, heritage, and aesthetic judgment today.

Why It Matters

• Design as Ideology: Imperial projects often used design to assert dominance — in cities, museums, art, and infrastructure.
• Historical Continuity: Many global aesthetics, museum collections, and planning models still carry the imprint of empire.
• Contested Memory: Monuments, urban names, and architectural styles are now sites of debate, protest, and reclamation.
• Cultural Production: Audiences, artists, and designers have long negotiated the tension between aesthetic innovation and political control.