Design 21: Social Design Network

The European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD) established the Design for All Foundation awards to recognise design to assist in access and disability

The Tote shopping Trolley has been shortlisted for the 2011 award in the professional category

http://www.designforall.org/en/awards/awards2011nomineesProf.php

http://goo.gl/VQIpk

In 1992 I undertook a Masters Degree at RMIT University with the then famous ‘National Key Centre for Design’ working with the Australian Indigenous (Koorie) Community in Victoria in a study of material culture.

The view was to work with the community as a control group in comparing traditional artefact with contemporary items.

At once the academic community railed against the research from a maternalistic ‘anti appropriationist’ stance through to the outright racist paternalist, thinking that nothing could be gained from the research.

I transferred my Masters across to the Industrial Design faculty and succeeded in the research which is now considered the field of 'Design Anthropology'.

Biomic Design was the theory establish, which called for designers to shift from human-centred design to place the environment or ‘biome’ at the centre of their consideration in designing product.

This was recently (2010) made prominent by Mercedes Benz with the naming of their concept car the ‘Biome’.

I have posted an extract from my 1997 thesis which was first aired at the 1997 Interior Architect and Designer Federation (IFI) Conference, “A Sense of Place” in Killarney, Ireland.

[issuu.com] (http://issuu.com/designprovidence/docs/belonging_biome1997)

OR

http://goo.gl/RtOZ2

Mark Watson Design Providence

Judging new talent in product / furniture design in the Indesign Launchpad competition 2010

http://launch-pad.com.au/about

Written some words for Indesign DQ for Octobe issue #39

Joined the research programme in System design

http://www.creativewaves-coten.com/project/

Interesting article from the Design Council UK

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources-and-events/Designers/Intersections-071/Service-design/

Links to my work around Sedition of the Gift were collaboration rather than appropriation brings best design outcomes.

What are your thoughts

MW

Recently commissioned by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority to scope curriculum changes to the Victorian Certificate of Education (Senior Secondary) for 'Systems Engineering' subject

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/systemseng/systemsengindex.html

The Australian Government has identified Social Innovation as one of two Research Priorities for 2010.

http://minister.innovation.gov.au/Carr/Pages/MANUFACTURINGANDSOCIALINNOVATIONTOBERESEARCHPRIORITIES.aspx

After 12 years of conservative government, at last a ray of light.