As a film student, I learnt that one of the most important things was set design. I didn’t consider it to be such a significant part of filmmaking before I got admitted to a film school, but once I was there and I had to watch many films every week, I realised how films with better set designs were perceived more positively by the spectators. Even glaring mistakes in the plot or editing can be ignored when your mise-en-scene is gorgeous.
Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, and Sofia Coppola are some of the directors whose directorial style is intimately tied to the design of their film sets. I too am a perfectionist, so I decided to mimic the strategy of these directors by becoming more acquainted with design in general.
I asked my friend, an inspiring interior designer, about this, and she said that I best learn from the professionals. She advised me to broaden my horizons by looking beyond set design and instead seek the concept of design itself. This is why she recommended I visit a design conference to see what she means.
The conference she picked immediately arrested my attention – Design and Time. Film is perceived to be a solely visual medium, but it’s not its reproduction of reality that makes it exclusively cinematic (photography does the same) – it is its mastery of this reproduction. One of these unique traits is the manipulation of time – the film viewer experiences time in a peculiar way when watching a movie, but it nevertheless feels natural to them as they’re used to cinematic time. The concept of the conference, which combines design and time seemed like the perfect event I could attend.
I wasn’t even slightly disappointed by the conference! I dare say it was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking events I’ve ever attended. Art and philosophy beautifully intertwined together and reflected on by numerous experts in the field.
I wanted to bring the magic I experienced then to a wider audience by telling you about the Design and Time conference, which inspired this blog, along with the few following conferences on design hosted by the Design and History Society.
Design and Time, 2016, Middlesex University, London, the UK
The Design and History Society hold their annual conference at different places each year. Design and Time was held at Middlesex University in London between 8 and 10 September 2016.
The location of the conference was very appropriate as Middlesex University prides itself on its art department, which breeds innovation and encourages active participation in the art industry. The Book Fair at the conference did precisely that – everyone could check out the latest publications in the field and directly engage with publishers, which was an amazing opportunity for design students and their teachers.
Some of the speakers of Design and Time included Elizabeth Guffey, who is teaching art theory and criticism at the State University of New York, Jeremy Till – a British architect teaching at London’s University of the Arts, and Leslie Atzmon – a Middlesex University alumni who now teaches design history at Eastern Michigan University.
The overreaching topic of the conference was time and how design reflects on it. Design and Time attempted to include many viewpoints from different cultures to see how different people experience time and how they used design to represent it – from timetables to curious items encapsulating their period.
They also explored the standardisation of time and its effect on private residences and public spaces. I found this particularly interesting as I wasn’t familiar with the standardisation process. Neither was I aware how this change to linear time contrasted with the cyclical nature of domestic life. This is even more visible nowadays with corporate interior and architecture reflecting our busy schedules, which was the theme of another lecture.
Other topics of the conference included the preservation of historical objects, along with a discussion on what is considered authentic and what artificial; antiques versus ‘retro-inspired’ items. The design historians also brought up the matter of archiving as an exercise of collective memory, whereas the historians decide what’s important to preserve for future generations and what is not.
The best thing about this conference was the fact that students, researchers, designers and critics could submit papers on the topic beforehand, which could later be discussed during the 3-day event. I believe this was a good way to make everyone feel included in the discussion.
Apart from the amazing lectures, one could also attend one or a few of the workshops available:
- 7th September – Pre-conference publishing shop: a place for participants to meet leaders in the field and find publishing opportunities. The spots for this pre-conference event were limited to 20, and I wasn’t in attendance so as not to waste a spot that could be filled by an inspiring design researcher.
- 8th September – Optional Visits to Famous London Venues (cost of each: £6)
- Option A: Jewish Museum, Camden – a beautiful collection of Jewish antiques and contemporary Jewish art reflecting the lives of Jews in London.
- Option B: RAF Museum, Colindale – a museum dedicated to the Royal Airforce showcasing real aircrafts and early aircraft designs.
- Option C: Willow Road (National Trust House), Hampstead – a modernist house designed by Ernö Goldfinger and inhabited by four generations of his family. Goldfinger is considered a brilliant architect and furniture designer.
- Option D: Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (Middlesex University) – a collection of pieces from English homes (late nineteenth-mid twentieth century). Attendees also have the opportunity to speak to the Museum’s Curator.
Participants could only choose one of these four options as the tours occurred at the same time. This is perhaps the only downfall, because all of these places sound amazing. I chose to visit the Jewish Museum in Camden, because I didn’t know much about the Jewish community of London. The museum showcases Jewish art (painting, sculpture), as well as household items and gorgeous clothes. The introductory tour helped me appreciate the exhibition even more.
These 3 days I spent at Design and Time made me really interested in the design field, and I quite enjoyed the academic discussions. Not only did it help me think of my future set designs in a new way, but it also interested me in the work of the Design and History Society. The gala dinner that marked the end of the conference was a glamourous event during which I made new friends, while enjoying a delicious dinner.
Making and Unmaking the Environment 2017, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
The Design and History Society marked its 40th anniversary with their conference called Making and Unmaking the Environment. The conference was held at the University of Oslo in Norway between 7 and 9 September 2017. Unfortunately, I could not afford to go to Oslo to attend it, but I closely followed the conference and I want to summarise it for you as the topic is quite popular today and it’s important to discuss it.
The Design and History Society again chose an appropriate place for the conference. Norway is famous for its innovative architectural and furniture designs, as well as its green policies, which make Norwegian designers re-imagine the way in which they build homes and hotels that complement nature, instead of destroying it.
Some of the key speakers at the Making and Unmaking the Environment conference included Simon Sadler – a professor of architectural and urban history at the University of California, Jennifer Gabrys – a professor of sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Peder Anker – a professor of science, ecology, environmentalism, and design at both New York University and the University of Oslo.
Similar to Design and Time 2016, participants could submit academic papers relating to the theme of the conference with the chance to be featured in a lecture. People also had the chance to meet with industry leaders and potentially secure funding for their projects.
The main theme of the conference was environmental design and how people relate to nature and technology. Art has long explored the motif of man versus technology, especially in terms of the technology polluting and/or replacing nature. Modern technology intruding in one’s natural way of life is often found in both Romantic and modernist literature and art, but the idea is still potent many years after Industrial Revolution. This could be because we now use technology in almost every aspect of our lives, but also due to the rapid climate change, which makes us rethink how we use precious resources and land.
The speakers attempted to reconcile humans and nature via technology by advocating for the science of environmental design. This can be done by using computer programs for mapping, which can carefully assess the area of interest to deliver the most environmentally sustainable solution. Other lectures sought to examine the relationship between nature and design organizations by discussing their dedication to sustainability or the lack thereof.
The conference also addressed the issue of sustainable design in terms of NGO’s that are tasked with building homes in Third World countries. It’s important to always include locals in the planning process and to make sure that the materials could be locally sourced, not just cheap.
I loved reading about this conference, because it offered so many practical solutions to problems faced around the whole world.
Design and Displacement 2018, Parsons School of Design, New York, USA
The next conference called Design and Displacement, was held at Parsons School of Design in New York, the US. The conference lasted three days between 6 and 8 September 2018. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend it due to my schedule, but much like other events of the Design and History Society, I was looking forward to reading about the lectures at the conference.
Design and Displacement aimed to examine the problems relating to immigration and asylum seeking. The unprecedented waves of refugees created by the wars in the Middle East, unrests in Africa, and climate change, numbering over 65 million according to the UN, had to be urgently addressed. New York City was chosen to host this event likely because the United Nations headquarters are situated there, while the city has always been a beacon of hope for people seeking a better way of life.
Speakers at the conference included Paul Chaat Smith – an essayist and curator, Lowery Stokes Sims – a curator at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, Tony Fry – an educator, writer, designer, and theorist, and Mabel O. Wilson – an architect and architectural historian.
The Design and Displacement conference addressed the ongoing issue of housing immigrants in their new host countries, as well as building infrastructure in countries in dire need. In the first case, this means constructing sustainable temporary housing, along with looking for ways to permanently house them by expanding the size of cities where migrants usually reside. It’s needless to say how important is to do that, as evidenced by overcrowded refugee camps in Greece and France, which lack basic facilities.
In the second case, design and architecture could help war-torn countries rebuild themselves in a better and more sustainable way. Alternatively, countries with recurring natural disasters can be aided by building appropriate infrastructure that would limit the damage. Climate change was another topic discussed at the conference – rising sea levels and higher temperatures can devastate communities and fuel their displacement.
Apart from offering design solutions to these problems, the conference also looked at history for help by having exhibitions relating to previous massive displacements of people and how they were handled. There were also personal stories of past refugees and their path to a better life.
Despite the bleak topic of the conference and its portrayals of human suffering, there was also a place for the opposite. The cross-cultural influences of design that arise from people migrating to other countries are beneficial to society and portray stories of success and inspiration. After all, the United States is the world’s melting pot where cultures clash and create beautiful things in the process – Missions in the Spanish architectural style, Brutalist buildings inspired by the UK and the Soviet bloc, and even the Statue of Liberty – designed and made in France.
The Cost of Design 2019, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, the UK
The Cost of Design is the Design and History Society’s conference held at Northumbria University in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, the UK, on 5th September 2019. It explored how design is related to the economy and vice versa.
The location is again appropriate – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, along with other cities in North England, has seen dramatic changes in its design. It used to be one of the centres for coal mining, shipbuilding, and glass production, which made the city prosperous, but eventually, these industries declined in the 1970’s and 1980’s. These changes influenced the remodelling of the city and the creation of new industries.
The University of Northumbria was established in response to that, and it began offering practice-based studies and a critical approach to questions of design. The university hosted a design conference in 1975, which later inspired the creation of the Design and History Society in 1977.
Key speakers this time included Guy Julier – a professor of design leadership at Alto University, Finland, Tereza Kuldova – a social anthropologist at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, Aric Chen – a design and architecture curator and a professor at Tongji University, and Alice Twemlow – a research professor at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, the Netherlands.
People could again submit papers to be discussed at the conference, and students could even apply to bursaries if they were members of the society and wanted to speak at the event.
The theme of the conference was relating to architectural and interior design, the cost of it, and the relationship with national economies. Some of the topics included the price of couture and fast fashion, the infamous building of the Sydney Opera and American capitalism in the 1950’s – its massive influence on the post-war home, as well as the resistance against it. Other lectures also delved into design education, and more specifically, how it could be amended to fit the new generations of designers and how its cost impacts these inspiring designers.
One lecture caught my attention – ‘A Feminist Model of Industrial Design Practice’ by Dr Isabel Prochner. I read the whole lecture where Dr Prochner was explaining how a feminist perspective could solve systemic problems in design because feminist critique manages to identify inequality, no matter the field. Her proposed feminist perspective promises industrial design that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
What Now?
Unfortunately, the Design and History Society didn’t hold a conference in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there’s an upcoming conference this September titled ‘Memory Full? Reimagining the Relations between Design and History’, which will be hosted in FHNW Academy of Art and Design, Basel, Switzerland. I encourage you to attend it if you can, and I thank you for reading this blog dedicated to the past conferences of this amazing design society!