Cumulus Dublin Conference 2013: More for less – design in an age of austerity (Nov 2013, Dublin Ireland)

Dates: 7-9 November 2013
Location: National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland
Website: www.cumulusdublin.com
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 May 2013

Today’s global recession forces design practice, research and education to address a number of questions:

• Consumption – How can design find a balance between excess and austerity
• Growth – How can design stimulate sustainable economic growth?
• Research – Is design research and development a luxury we can still afford?
• Education – How can we change pedagogical content and delivery methods to become more efficient while maintaining standards?
• Environments – How can we use design to create places and spaces for renewal and growth?
• Wellbeing – How can design improve our wellbeing and welfare in the face of public sector cuts and financial hardship?
• Communities – How can design bring local communities together to work on projects that improve how we live, work and play?

We propose that in the deepest recession since the great depression of the 1930s we need to turn the modernist mantra ‘less is more’ on its head as the reduced budgets of governments, business and people demand ‘more for less’, and develop a ‘New Deal’ for design.