Department
of Cynical Delight

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As a collaborative duo with art and design backgrounds, our practice exists at the intersection of both. Rooted in the tradition of critical design, our work explores speculative themes through dark humor and absurdity. We produce artifacts that borrow from consumerist aesthetics and corporate design processes while subverting their inherent narratives. Rather than adopting a didactic tone, we rely on humor as a universal and approachable space for dialogue.

Our inaugural project, Apocalypse Laboratories, imagines a fictional Research and Development facility exploring the commodification of apocalyptic imagery—specifically severe weather phenomena—by an amusement industry that produces toys, games, and novelty items. The laboratory functioned as a safe environment for visitors to engage with these ideas. Over the three weeks that it was open to the public, visitors of all ages were drawn in, laughing ironically at the absurd images and objects before recognizing the deeper anxieties they reflected.

Moving forward, we aim to expand this dialogue into more open, transactional, and influential spaces—platforms that engage broader audiences through entertainment and popular culture. By embedding critical themes within accessible formats, contemporary anxieties are mediated, packaged, and consumed.

Who We Are

Joseph Burwell is a NY-based multidisciplinary artist who makes drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations, and 3D renderings that use archeology and architecture to activate supernatural narratives. Joseph has participated in LMCC, P.S. 122, and Robert Blackburn residencies. He teaches at Pratt Institute and exhibits his artwork with Miyako Yoshinaga in New York City and ADA gallery in Richmond, VA.

Woojin Lee is a New York-based artist/designer who creates sculptures, graphics, and video installations that reinterpret the malleability of the habitats/environments—such as corporate offices, private and public institutions, and both natural and human-made landscapes. Woojin has participated in the 2025 NYFA Immigrant Mentorship Program as a mentor, a resident artist at Longwood@Governors Island, and currently a full-time faculty member at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Books We Like

John Zorn Hermetic Cartography
The RSVP Cycles: creative processes in the human environment
Weingart: Typography

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Department of Cynical Delight

Department of
Cynical Delight