Anyone who has been watching the news coming out of the United States of late is aware of the move by the current US President, Donald Trump, to build a bigger wall separating the country from Mexico.
It was at last year's AGI Open in Paris, which was held under the theme of Borders, that Nikki Gonnissen, AGI president said: "I want to make sure that democratic values such as freedom and the ability to express oneself are guaranteed, especially in countries where this is less obvious.”
During a conversation between Gonnissen as well as graphic designers, Paul Cox and Alejandro Magallanes in Paris, the three discussed with Design Indaba the reasons why it was important that this year's conference be held in Mexico after initially been intended to be hosted in the US.
"We are building from Borders in Paris and we go to Mexico, to The Other Side. Because of the US and its exclusive politics we decided to jump the wall to Mexico," said Gonnissen.
Gonnissen added that this year's conference is also an opportunity to talk about these geopolitical problems.
Under this year's theme of The Other Side, graphic designers from all over the world will gather in Mexico City this September to discuss inovative design practices and strategies that inspire a better world.
Magallanes adds that what makes the move to hosting the event in Mexico more significant is the fact that it opens up AGI to a more diverse crop of graphic designers from Latin America, where membership is low.
Cox says that AGI which was started after the second world war has always been about fostering international friendships within the graphic design community.
The three also discussed their work, constraints, bringing ones personal experiences to their work as well as the importance of not only attracting members from Latin America but Africa and India too.
Tickets to AGI Mexico are on sale here.
Read more on AGI:
Talking graphic design as a tool for empowerment at AGI 2017
Typeface as a tool for empowerment, with Bruno Maag
To teach graphic design is to learn to adapt with the field says Lucille Tenazas
