Innovation through Cross Cultural Fusion

Design is usually focussed around the development or improvement of innovative commercial services or products, society is encouraged to purchase goods and services eto improve our lifestyles. Design promotes and creates desires and aspirations for particular lifestyles, it affects how people/society live and work, it sustains cultural identity. Design and creativity is an important tool for sustaining economies, encouraging consumers to spend. Design is a powerful tool. This project will use design skills and expertise to challenge public opinion and lifestyles with regard to consumerism and social well-being.

This proposal will enrich design students education by introducing issues that all countries/cultures are having to address: climate change – the result of lifestyles across the globe and the change of demographic: a higher percentage of elderly people within society as people (in developed countries) are living longer.

Design students will generate responses/ideas and concepts through identifying, comparing and understanding different cultural practices or responses within a number of countries to these two themes – “Innovation through Cross Cultural Fusion”.

The focus for the project centers around different cultural practices developed in response to topics that impact across boarders and cultures: Climate change/environmental/sustainable lifestyles (the reduction of carbon gas output), and Social Well-being – what impact can design have on the changing demographic of the population/society? How can design help maintain independent living for an increasing elderly population?

Countries across the globe are addressing these themes as a result of different political, social, economic and demographic frames of reference and this project will be a celebration of of different cultural practices by synthesising and identifying good practices. This proposal will provide both UG & PG students from different countries with an opportunity to work together, students will form international groups and learn how different cultures have responded to common themes.

The international network/partners will include: Sheffield Hallam University – England, UK Ecole De Nantes Atlantique, France Akademia Sztuk Pienych W Katowicach - Poland