Deem Journal

It’s here. Issue 05, “Climate Realities and Responses,” reflects on the biggest design challenge of all: the climate crisis and its compounding reverberations. The perils of a changing climate are not approaching—they have long since arrived. Yet there is so much left to fight for if we can come together to rethink—and redesign—the systems that connect us both to our planet and to one another, and if we can face that a stable, habitable climate on earth is no longer the presumed backdrop for our imaginations.  On our cover, we’re overjoyed to honor marine biologist, policy expert, and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza ) who, in conversation with guest editor Mark Chambers (@growacity ), helps us picture and commit to a climate future in which survival is not only possible, but an enticing invitation to which we are all called to respond.  Orders are open. Place your order at the link in our bio.  Cover photography by Guarionex Rodriguez Jr. (@guarionex_jr )

Last October, we were honored to host the kick off for @deemjournal ’s third annual symposium, Designing for Dignity 03: A Convening of Possibilities, at The Land School - the very site where our founder, Theaster Gates, was photographed and interviewed for the cover story of Deem’s Issue Four: A Sense of Place while still under construction. Through a shared dialogue between Gates and Deem’s co-founder Nu Goteh (@nuthervandross ), the two reflected on Gates’s artistic practice and design orientation, which ideologically guide and ground his spatial investments on Chicago’s South Side. In conversation, Gates and Goteh expanded on the breadth and boundless potentials of placemaking, the subversive radicality of Rebuild’s model, the rituals necessary for holding space, and the arc of responsibility tied into cultural service work. Watch Gates and Goteh’s full conversation now and learn more about how Rebuild’s work is a service of “balanc[ing] the anxiety of what could be taken with the joy of giving” via the link in our bio. Special thanks to the @mcachicago and @soundrotation whose sonic offerings helped give life to this convening and the resonant frequencies of Black space.

What is SXXTXCH? Welcome to Episode 00, our series introduction with host Mindy Seu and executive editor Isabel Flower, who will share how SXXTXCH came to life as a weekend of live conversations and performances at @performance.space.new york last fall.  This preface to the forthcoming six part series will also expand on what we mean by “sexual technology,” how many of the technologies we now take for granted emerged from sex work, why all technology is embodied, and the drastic implications of legislation on life online.  Stay tuned for the complete season—we’ll be dropping a new episode every two weeks through the middle of July! Stream it at the link in our bio.

Technology is embodied. Since the advent of our digital tools, sexuality continues to shape how the internet is designed, experienced, and surveilled. In collaboration with Deem, artist and technologist @MindySeu presents SXXTXCH LIVE—a podcast series recorded live @performance.space.new.york in October 2025. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing six episodes that bring together artists, scholars, sex workers, historians, and journalists to consider the impact of sexuality on technology, from innovating online to queering biotech, transforming markets to sex ed, and beyond. Immense thanks to our host, Performance Space New York, and to everyone who enabled this experience to come to life and to be documented in this series. Our team: Executive Editor, Isabel Flower @isabelflower Co-founder / Creative Director, Nu Goteh @nuthervandross Executive Producer, Amy Mae Garrett @seekamymae Art Director, Jun Lin @yuujunlin Executive Assistant, Jorgie Ingram @jooorgieee Videographer, Rafhael Dungca @rafhaeldungca Photographer, Chaz Deausen @bastoos__ Performance Space New York: Artistic Director, Taja Cheek @turrelljames Keith Haring Curatorial Fellow, Janggo Mahmud @janggoooooo Communications and Marketing Manager, Christofer Medina @christoferluis_ Communications Associate, Zora Jade Khiry @zorajadekhiry Head Producer, Sarah McCaffery @sarahmccaffery Associate Producer, Ashley Pierre-Louis @ashleypierrelouis Associate Director, Ana Sepulveda @anabesepu Production Manager, Sarai Frazier @s.arai__ Audience Services Manager, Kimiko Tanabe @kimiko_tanabe Director of Production & Technical Operations, Andy Sowers @hii_viz Derek Lloyd Production Apprentice, Cheyanne Williams @itscheybaybay Stage Manager, Ashton Goren @ash.goren Video Technician, Matt Deinhart @mdeins Audio Engineer, Isaac Silber @isilberis Lighting Designer, Robin Ediger-Seto @robinthedancer House Manager, Nasani Danvers @maybenasani Patricia Chevez @tichacoco Yvonne Chow yvonnehchow Kira Zhan pissmodern

Please join us for @columbiagsapp “The Library is Open” lunchtime series on Friday February 13, featuring recently published works and their authors. We will share our approach to publishing and design, followed by a conversation with past featured voices and GSAPP faculty Mabel Wilson (@studio_and ) and Emanuel Admassu (@eadmassu ).

Putting on an event this year? Our minis are great for programmes – and they double as a keepsake ✨ We loved this one @deemjournal printed last year for their annual Designing For Dignity symposium, which brought artists, architects, educators and designers to @mcachicago for two days of inspiring conversations.

Designing for Dignity 03: A Convening of Possibilities was shaped by our community — your presence, participation, and generosity of spirit. The energy, the conversations, and the love in that room are what keep us pushing forward, dreaming bigger, and seeking new avenues of expression. To be in that space together cannot be taken lightly. We are deeply grateful to every person who continues to show up, grow with us, and build this alongside us. Footage from the convening was filmed and edited by Brian Crawford (@shotbyboc ). Full programming from 10/25/25 is now streaming on YouTube.

Our third symposium—Designing for Dignity 03: A Convening of Possibilities—hosted by and held at @mcachicago this October, was an enriching, energizing, and deeply inspiring experience. Friday evening’s programming was in partnership with the Rebuild Foundation and onsite at The Land School. We’re grateful to all of our collaborators, participants, and guests who made the weekend’s presentations, conversations, and moments of connection not only possible, but truly extraordinary. Footage from the convening was filmed and edited by Brian Crawford (@shotbyboc ). Full programming from 10/24 + 10/25 is now streaming on YouTube.

🌐We LOVED hearing our community’s thoughts after @mindyseu ’s performance of A SEXUAL HISTORY OF THE INTERNET last weekend! Thank you to every single person who joined us for SXXTXCH LIVE and made this event so special 🖤 — 💥Interviews by our very own @janggoooooo

Consider this a reminder that pre-events for Symposium 03 kick off tonight!  We’re starting with our pre-party, co-hosted by @chicagoarchitecturebiennia and @rebuild_foundation , at Stony Island Arts Bank, then heading to The Land School for a conversation between @theastergates and @nuthervandross and a sonic experience from Duane Powell (@soundrotation ). We also wanted to let you know that, in continuation with the last two years, our third Symposium will include a public Reference Room, located adjacent to the theater @mcachicago , where guests and museum visitors can experience some of the reading materials that have inspired Deem for the last six years. These texts represent a combination of research, specific mentions from the journal’s pages, and recommendations from contributors and participants from past issues and programs, as well as this year’s symposium. Some of the books have been sourced from the MCA library’s closed stacks. We hope not only to provide access to context and tools around Deem’s interests and values, but also to create a dedicated space for reflection and repose. The Reference Room will be open for the duration of Saturday’s program.

One week out! Tickets are still on sale for our third annual symposium taking place on October 24 & 25 @mcachicago . For more info and to purchase tickets, see the link in our bio.

Friday night’s inaugural dialogue between @theastergates & @nuthervandross at The Land School will be followed by a unique sound experience presented by seminal Chicago house DJ and cultural guardian Duane E Powell (@soundrotation ).  A music historian and longtime steward of Rebuild’s work with the Frankie Knuckles Collection, he will spin a special selection of sonics inspired by the archive. Powell’s love for music began at an early age, when he was growing up in the 1970s and exposed to Chicago’s rich sonic landscape. His lifelong passion has made him a beloved figure in Chicago’s music community and beyond. He is the creator of Sunday Service, a celebrated house music activation where he blends gospel and house to inspirational and tribal sounds, all with an aim to connect soulfully and deeply with his “congregation.” In the mid-1980s, he and his crew were the go-to marketeers for some of the city’s most prominent DJs, helping shape Chicago’s burgeoning music and club culture. Over a 12-year span, his title of tastemaker took shape, as he introduced several artists to the local and national stage. During this time, he worked extensively with the legendary Chicago record store Dr. Wax Records. In 1999, Powell launched SOUNDROTATION, further cultivating Chicago’s underground soul scene and facilitating performance debuts. As an ethnomusicologist and historian, he also hosts interactive lecture series, sharing his vast musical knowledge at various institutions. Holding residencies at legendary venues and galleries spanning the city of Chicago and beyond, he has shared the bill with legendary DJs and Grammy-winning producers and continues to move rooms with every set he spins.  (Please note that this event does not take place at the MCA. You can RSVP through Eventbrite at the link in our bio.)