140: Visual Design and Symbolic Transformation: A Worshop-Based Project To Reframe Urban Memory

This article presents a research-creation-based pedagogical experience conducted in a Colombian public design school. The workshop explored symbolic memory through visual design practices, taking as a case study the transformation of a former women’s prison into an academic campus. Graphic design students engaged in a series of exercises combining individual photography, semiotic interpretation, and collaborative collage. The methodology integrated critical design education, visual semiotics, and situated pedagogies from Latin American contexts. Results show that image-making enabled participants to reinterpret spatial narratives, articulate affective memories, and exercise symbolic agency through collective visual production. The findings highlight how design can function not only as a communicative tool but also as a critical and transformative practice in educational and social settings. The experience supports the use of research-creation to foster visual literacy, promote reflective engagement with space, and develop inclusive, context-sensitive learning strategies in urban environments shaped by histories of marginalization.