Good Things and Bad Things (June 2013, Nottingham UK)

*Save the Date* for

 ‘Good Things and Bad Things’

Symposium in Nottingham on 10^th/ 11^th June 2013.

The programme will bring together a range of approaches to the ‘rights and wrongs’ of designs, designers and designing, hearing perspectives from Design (Jana Scholze, Victoria and Albert Museum), Sociology (Tim Dant, University of Lancaster), Social Anthropology (Mike Anusas, U of Strathclyde), Art (Gene-George Earlé), Design History (Ralph Mills, MMU), among others.

The good/ bad things in question include guns, things in questionable taste, immaterial things, sportified things, criminal things… among others.

We intend to start discussion about these as crossing points between ideas of virtue, propriety, moral conduct and the agency of material and immaterial objects.  This will connect both with debates from object orientated philosophy, and about designs as manifestations of social and cultural practices.

‘Good Things’ is Hosted by Nottingham Contemporary, to coincide with the exhibition ‘The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things’ curated by Mark Leckey and is a collaboration between the Design Research Society OPENSiG (objects, practices, experiences, networks), Nottingham Trent University, the Design against Crime Research Centre at Central St. Martins and Nottingham Contemporary.

Register here:

http://onlinestore.ntu.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?modid=1&prodid=0&deptid=6&compid=1&prodvarid=57&searchresults=1

Registration fees are as follows:

Standard:                       £75

DRS Members:               £60

Student/ unwaged          £35

This covers lunches and refreshments on both days.

For updates, join our ‘Good Things and Bad Things’ facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/474678392584933/

Queries – contact Tom Fisher: tom.fisher@ntu.ac.uk

Call for Papers / Designs for the 2013 SYMPOSIUM April 19-21, 2013 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul

This symposium connects fashion to Social Responsibility. Through a series of scholarly presentations, panel discussions, design presentations, the symposium participants will explore, define, and document the interconnections between fashion and social responsibility.

The symposium has an inclusive definition of the term “fashion”. While fashion is often understood to center on apparel choices, fashion can be recognized as the current style or aesthetic choice in any design field. Proposals are welcome from divergent fields such as architecture, anthropology, cultural studies, history, interior design, graphic design, psychology, sociology, and women’s studies.

Participation is invited in this symposium by submitting a written abstract or a design. Best submissions will be considered for inclusion in focused issues of journals including Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process and the Fashion Industry as well as for a book Fashion and Health.

Topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Social responsibility in design practice
• Issues related to social responsibility in design
• Cross-cultural views on social responsibility in design
• Customer views of socially responsible design businesses
• Considerations of any aspect of production within design industries and social responsibility
• Innovative teaching concerning social responsibility within design fields
• Historical views on social responsibility  (e.g., dress reform movements)
• Socially responsible consumption
• Socially responsible designs
• Socially responsible marketing/selling of design
• Marketing images and social responsibility
• Social values and design
• Socially responsible design materials

Symposium formats will include poster sessions, concurrent individual presentations [15 minutes], plenary sessions [60 minutes], and panel or collaborative presentations.

Important dates:


February 1, 2013: Notice of acceptance emailed and release of copy write forms sent to authors. Online registration opens [general $200; students $100]
February 15, 2013: Copyright forms due to kjohnson@umn.edu
March 15, 2013: Draft of symposium program posted on symposium website (below)
April 1, 2013: Hotel room reservations due [unreserved rooms released]
April 8, 2013: Online registration closes (early bird rates)
April 19-21, 2013: Symposium (on site registration cash or check only)
See the conference website for further information:

http://design.umn.edu/fashionand/socialresponsibility/