SEMINAR: INSIGHTS INTO DANISH DESIGN RESEARCH

Would you like insight into fresh, cutting-edge design research? Join us as the Danish Centre for Design Research (DCDR) explores future initiatives and responsible design through four thematic entries into the latest design research.

We begin with the planetary perspective on design, where tangible artefacts, field notes, and visual insights, from diapers and textiles to industrial waste, offer a sensory glimpse into design research’s engagement with the material world. We then turn to design education and responsible practice, where examples such as repair camps and work with imperfect materials demonstrate how responsible design can be both taught and put into practice.

Next, we open up to narratives from social design research, where relationships, ethics, and collaboration come to the fore through anecdotes grounded in the researcher’s own experiences. We focus on the intersection of design, technology, and care, where experiments with algorithms, surveillance, aesthetics, and intimate infrastructures explore how design helps shape the conditions of the future.

We conclude the afternoon with a reflective panel discussion featuring key actors from the Danish design scene: the Danish Design Center, the Danish Design Council, Design denmark, and Designmuseum Denmark. Finally, DCDR invites you to learn more about future initiatives and a glass of sparkling wine in the museum garden.

PROGRAM

12.00-12.15: Welcome & introduction to the new centre by Linda Nhu Laursen
DCDR: Where have we been, and where are we going? How to join in?
A brief introduction to the mission (purpose, milestones, vision), including work so far: seminars, research, and books.

12.15- 12.45: Artefacts from Planetary Design
We examine artefacts, notes, and photos from the field with insights on diapers, industrial waste, and textiles.

12.45-13.15: Responsible Design Education
How can design education prepare students to act responsibly? This interactive session brings together new research on responsible stakeholder engagement in design education with hands-on examples from repair camps and designing with imperfect leftover materials, showing how responsible design teaching can go from principle to practice.

13.15-13.45 Break

13.45-14.15: Anecdotes from Social Design Research
In this session, researchers share three anecdotal episodes within Socially Responsive Design, each of which opens up the possibility of investigating responsiveness in practice. The anecdotes are from specific research projects and raise key questions of relevance to design research.

14.15-14.45: Design Research and Technology
In this session, three PhD students will show how they use design research to understand the dynamics of care technologies in practice and explore what alternative possible futures could look like.

14.45-15.15 Break

15.15-16:00: How might leading Danish Design actors engage with Design Research?
In the closing session, we will bring together key actors for a conversation about the current design landscape, with a particular focus on how to strengthen the interaction between (DCDR) design researchers and Danish design organizations. The discussion will explore how the Danish design ecosystem can interact with education and research institutions, both today and in the future.

16.00-16.15: Closing Remarks, Perspectives for the Danish Center for Design Research by Anna Vallgårda

16.20-18.00: Networking, bubbles and snacks in the Museum Garden.

SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS

At the seminar, we have a wide range of speakers and panel participants. You can find them listed below, followed by a brief overview with photos.

• Christina Melander: Chief Design Officer at the Danish Design Center
• Marie Louise Høstbo: Creative Design Director at Fritz Hansen
• Sarah Lærke Stevns: CEO at Design Denmark
• Lars Pico Geerdsen: Head of Programmes and Research at Designmuseum Denmark
• Nikoline Sander: PhD student at the Department of Architecture and Media Technology, Aalborg University
• Sophia Rytter Møller: PhD fellow in Industrial Design at Aalborg University
• Louie Søs Meyer: PhD student in Human-Computer Interaction and Design at IT University of Copenhagen
• Nicklas Engelbrecht Ravn: PhD student in Digitalization, Democracy, and Governance at IT University of Copenhagen
• Safra Martinussen: PhD student in Human-Computer Interaction and Design at IT University of Copenhagen