Wednesday 18 May 2016

Professor Martyn Evans

Design Routes: Revitalisation Through Design

5.30pm—6.30pm

Drawing on the AHRC funded project Design Routes that Martyn leads, this lecture will explore how design can make a meaningful contribution in developing and revitalising culturally significant designs, products and practices to make them relevant to the needs of people today. Increasingly such traditions are being reassessed and revitalised as their rich historical links with community and culture.

This lecture will explore the links that people see between products and place – their roots, and the fact that these links change over time – their routes.

Taking the starting point of designs and products that are linked to particular places, employ traditional making processes or are embedded in local ways of life, the lecture will consider the design and creative ecology that sustain and fosters such products and practices. Additionally, Martyn will discuss effective revitalisation strategies through design that are capable of supporting the provenance, heritage and meaning of particular products, while enhancing their relevance and viability in contemporary society.

Martyn is Professor of Design in Manchester School of Art and was formerly Head of Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts at Lancaster University. As a trained product designer his research interests explore the strategic approaches designers use to consider the future, in particular the ability of designers to envision potential social, cultural, technological and economic futures. Martyn had led a number of funded research projects, both in the UK and in Europe. He is currently an Expert Advisor to the European Commission funded ‘Design for Europe’ project, Principal Investigator for the AHRC funded ‘Design Routes’ project, Co-Investigator on the AHRC/ESRC funded ‘Design Ecologies’ project and Co-Investigator on the AHRC funded ‘Living Design project.

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Part of the ASK (Art Seeks Knowledge) Open Lecture Series by Professors and visiting Professors at the Manchester School of Art.

All are welcome to these open talks, which offer a snapshot of the breadth and depth of some of our research and practice at the cutting edge of our disciplines.

Admission is free, please book your ticket online.