In this workshop, we invite researchers to participate in the preparation of an application under the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. There will be introductions and discussions.
Worldwide environmental problems are closely linked to an increasing amount of waste and pollution related to the production, transportation and consumption of artefacts. Designers, decision makers, investors and consumers hold different positions in the design process, but they all make choices that will influence our future environment. In order to solve some of the crucial global challenges, designers and lay people must cooperate; for this purpose, awareness of design qualities from a sustainable perspective is necessary. We include such an awareness of quality, longevity and sustainability in the design process of artefacts and solutions in our understanding of DESIGN LITERACY. It refers to concerns and practices such as democratic participation in the processes, developing and using ethical responsibility, and understanding and supporting sustainable aspects of production and consumption.
The growing consumption of ‘things we do not need’ is an increasing problem for Europe. In this DESIGN LITERACY project, we will promote design education of non-designers (in their role as consumers and decision makers) as a stepping stone for a cultural strategy for change. The DESIGN LITERACY project will develop as an application for an EU project connected to smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, highlighted in the Europe2020 strategy (European Commission, 2010). Specifically, this workshop will be a further step towards an application for the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
The results of this research will be useful from wider a societal perspective, as well as for recommending specific changes in policy and educational implementation. This study’s importance lies in the needs to better inform design education itself, to improve the quality of design educators, to educate reflective consumers and, as a result, to further the goals of a sustainable, creative society.
The workshop will consist of invited researchers and other researchers interested in the topics raised in the DESIGN LITERACY project.
Timeframe: 1h 30m
Organisers:
Liv Merete Nielsen, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway; LivMerete.Nielsen@hioa.no
Karen Brænne, Volda University College, Norway
Open for registration: 15