Design research from across the country will fall under the spotlight this month at a unique conference in Edinburgh.
Hosted by Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh College of Art), Research Through Design (RTD) 2017 will take place at the National Museum of Scotland between 22-24 March.
Falling under this year’s theme of ‘New Disciplines of Making – Shared Knowledge in Doing’, RTD will bring together a number of the UK’s leading design academics who are set to share their research through an experimental conference format.
Consisting of a curated exhibition of design research, accompanied by round-table discussions in various ‘Rooms of Interest’, the exhibition will demonstrate various research processes and outputs alongside providing a platform for debate and opinion. Four workshops – from printmaking and 3D printing to sandcasting – will also take place across Edinburgh on 21 March.
Speakers for this year’s conference include Japanese architect Azusa Murakami, British artist Alexander Groves and Professor Elisa Giaccardi. Edinburgh Napier will also be represented through Katharina Vones who will present her paper on her creation of the HyperHive Series of interactive pendants as well as Denise Allen who will run a workshop on 3D printing. The University’s Paul Kerlaff, Ian Lambert and Sam Vettese will also chair three of the Rooms of Interest.
Sam Vettese, Reader at Edinburgh Napier and part of RTD 2017’s organising team, said: “Preparations for RTD 2017 are really beginning to gather pace and we’re looking forward to welcoming attendees later this month.
“The exhibition itself will be used as a platform for showcasing research and its impact, alongside generating debate on the role of the design practitioner and their work in a research context. There will also be a number of support events which are open to non-delegates, along with panel discussing on design as research and more. We hope you can join us over the course of the three days.”
Set within the National Museum of Scotland on the city’s Chambers Street, the venue’s own artefacts will provide a contrast between its traditional artefacts and collections with the conference’s new and emerging making disciplines.
Tickets for the conference are on sale here and includes discount for students looking to attend. The full programme for RTD 2017 is available here.