Salvador Gutierrez's 'Unconventional' Thesis Tackles ICE Injustice
Salvador Gutierrez, a USC Roski MFA Design Class of 2026 candidate, presents his thesis project 'Unconventional' in the latest installment of Dr. Dori Tunstall's monthly column for PRINT Magazine. Gutierrez, described as a Latino future design rock star by GDUSA, subverts everyday objects to protest ICE's treatment of Latinx communities. He screen-prints 'FUCK ICE' on shopping bags, molds it into motel soaps, and embosses it on safety whistles dispensed from gumball machines for four quarters. Rejecting generative AI's Latinx stereotypes, Gutierrez uses AI and 3D-printing to immortalize ICE-detained child Liam Conejo Ramos, his five-year-old self, and others harmed by ICE. The project eschews technological 'hand-me-downs' to create new technologies that demand dignity for all people. Dr. Dori Tunstall, a design anthropologist and author of 'Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook' (MIT Press, 2023), contributes this 100-word meditation accompanied by an image of the project.
Key facts
- Salvador Gutierrez is a USC Roski MFA Design Class of 2026 candidate.
- His thesis project is titled 'Unconventional'.
- The project features 'FUCK ICE' screen-printed on shopping bags, molded into motel soaps, and embossed on safety whistles.
- Whistles are dispensed via gumball machines for four quarters.
- Gutierrez uses AI and 3D-printing to create statues of ICE-detained child Liam Conejo Ramos, his five-year-old self, and others.
- He rejects generative AI's Latinx stereotypes.
- Dr. Dori Tunstall is a design anthropologist and author of 'Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook' (MIT Press, 2023).
- The column is part of PRINT Magazine's monthly series 'Dr. Dori's Cut: 100 Words, No Filler.'
Entities
Artists
- Salvador Gutierrez
- Dori Tunstall
- Liam Conejo Ramos
- Elizabeth Tunstall
Institutions
- PRINT Magazine
- USC Roski School of Art and Design
- GDUSA
- MIT Press
- Substack
- Fast Company
- The Architect's Newspaper