Your creative future starts here:
Because the world needs: Design

- Written byDan Austin
- Published date 01 June 2023

We believe creativity has a role in solving great problems — to imagine a better world and bring it to fruition. We believe the world needs creativity.
Central to this is our research and knowledge exchange. Creative practice has a role to play in developing this research and knowledge with external partners, like-minded organisations, and across disciplines and industries. It is our task, therefore, to identify the issues where we can make the biggest impact.
To deliver our social purpose and to meet the needs and expectations of our staff and students, we need to change, too.
This display platforms research, innovation and practice which demonstrates what design can do when social purpose is at its core, celebrating research from across UAL’s six Colleges.
Find out about UAL's new research strategy - changing the world through our creative endeavour.
Display credits
1. Air Pollution Toile
Professor Lucy Kimbell, Social Design Institute
Wallpaper and sample book Commissioned by Modern Art Oxford and shown there in the exhibition Future Knowledge, 2018
Visualisation and artworking: Lucy Kimbell and Suky Best
Photography: Donna Binder and Sruthi Singh
Sample book design: Lucy Kimbell, Daniel Hopkinson
Wallpaper printed by Surfaceprint Ltd
Supported by University of the Arts London. Early ideas were inspired by research funded by the EU H2020 Organicities scheme. Images licenced from Science Photo Library
2. Antarctica
Professor Lucy Orta, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion
Jorge Orta
3. Around the Corner – Co-Designing Equity in the Public Realm
Victor Hwang, Challenge Lab Designer-in-Residence
Sanaa Fatima Asim, Challenge Lab Designer-in-Residence
Rachel Hutchison, Challenge Lab Manager
Academic Advisors
Dr Niki Wallace, course leader MA Global Collaborative Design Practice Fabiane Lee-Perella, year leader for BA Product and Furniture Design
Community Partner
The Remakery
Mark Ovenden, Director
Jasmine Schofield, Designer / Maker
Phil Dolman, Designer / Maker
Callum Sida-Murray, Designer / Maker
Young People Cohort
Tiffany I.
Celia D.
Ahimsa R.
Malick M.
Alayna T.
Lauren B.
Jai B.
Adam E.
Amélie R.
Luke F.
4. The Real Me
Val Palmer, Senior Academic Recruitment Coordinator
Dr David Preston, Platform Leader, Strategy & Identity, Graphic Communication Design Programme
Central Saint Martins
5. Make and ReMake
Dr Laetitia Forst
Centre for Circular Design at Chelsea College of Arts
6. CoaAst
Dr Anna Troisi, Senior Lecturer BSc Creative Computing, Creative Computing Institute
Dr Paula Callus, co-investigator
Dr Gauti Sigthorsson, co-investigator
Mwadime Mwaza, co-investigator Fort Jesus Museum, National Museum of Kenya
Mr. Zacharia Ngungu – Headteacher Majaony Seaview Academy
Mr. John K. Lewa – Executive Director Lifog Centre Primary School
Mr. David M. Lewa – Managing Director Lifog Centre Primary School
7. Black Heroes
Professor Lorraine Gamman, Design Against Crime, Central Saint Martins
Carlotta Allum, Design Against Crime, Central Saint Martins
Kate Marlow and the Here team
8. Decolonising Fashion and Textiles
Dr Francesco Mazzarella, Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Design for Social Change, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL
Professor Lucy Orta, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL, Co-Investigator
Dr Seher Mirza, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Nicole Zisman, Project Administrator
David Betteridge, Filmmaker
Camilla Palestra, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, Curatorial Projects Coordinator
Alisa Ruzavina, Fashion and Textile Designer and Maker
JC Candanedo, Photographer
9. Design Materials & Making for Social Change
Edited by Professor Rebecca Earley and Dr Rosie Hornbuckle
10. Cell Furniture
Design Against Crime, Central Saint Martins
Professor Lorraine Gamman
Professor Adam Thorpe,
Jeffrey Doruff
Zoe Kahan
Rock Galpin
Carlotta Allum
Katie-May Boy
Adam Thorpe
11. Dress for our Time
Professor Helen Storey, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion
Supporting partners include:
Holition
Unilever
Met Office
UNHCR UK
The University of Sheffield
12. Jaipur Rugs Foundation
BA Textile Design programme and Jaipur Rugs Foundation
Central Saint Martins
13. La Liga
Film by Justyna Kabala
Produced by Syrup
La Liga is part of the Southwark Today project.
Funded by University of the Arts London research department.
Translation: Alice Kilkenny
Project support: Ren Miranda Antelo
With thanks to Amparo Rendon (founder of Latin M Group), Will and all the players who appeared in and were part of the film. Special thanks to Vanessa, Carolina, Yuki, Ana, Elena, Kattia, Monica and Amparo.
14. Makeright
Design Against Crime, Central Saint Martins
Professor Lorraine Gamman
Professor Adam Thorpe
Marcus Willcocks
Erika Renedo Illarregi
Pras Gunasekera
Carlotta Allum
Joe Hunter
J McGill Winston
Keith Jarvis, formally of HMP Thameside
Praveen Nahar, National Institute of Design, India
15. Story Cubes
Dr Rosie Hornbuckle, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Centre for Circular Design, Chelsea College of Arts
The Herewear Community
16. Mapping Youth Violence
Design Against Crime, Central Saint Martins
Professor Lorraine Gamman
Professor Adam Thorpe
Jocelyn Bailey
Shane Carey,
Alison Frater
Fernando Carvalho
Henrietta Ross.
17. One Picture My Story
Dr Patricia Dark, Borough Archivist, Southwark Archives
Brenda Wade and staff at Age UK Lewisham and Southwark
Tina Johnston and staff at Blackfriars Settlement
Julia Honess and staff at Copleston Centre
Aubyn Graham and staff at Elim House Community Centre
Hilary Payne and staff at Link Age Southwark
Staff at London Senior Social
Cathy Deplessis, Jason Green and staff at Southwark Pensioners
18. Stockwell Park – Social Furniture Hack
Rachel Hutchison, Challenge Lab Manager
Fabiane Lee-Perella, Senior Lecturer & Year Leader, BA Product and Furniture Design, Chelsea College of Art & Founder of Flour Studio
Year 2 BA Product and Furniture Design students, Chelsea College of Art
Julie Fawcett & the Stockwell Park Community Trust team
Stockwell Park Community Centre
19. Overcrowded Living
Professor Adam Thorpe, Central Saint Martins
20. Heap Lands
Mike Parish
M ARCH: Architecture, Central Saint Martins
21. Patterns of Perception
Central Saint Martins
Anne Marr, Programme Director Jewellery, Textiles and Materials
Nowshin Prenon, Abigail Weston and Hannah Whiteman, BA Textile Design
Gareth Johnson, Film Direction
UCL
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging
Queens Square Movement Disorder Centre
Dr Rimona Weil
Dr Christian Lambert
Naomi Hannaway
English National Ballet
Fleur Derbyshire-Fox, Engagement Director
Alison Hartley, Head of Creative Programmes
Anna Dowds, Engagement Assistant
Nathan Tinker, ENB Associate Musician
Kate Hartley-Stevens, ENB Associate Dance Artist
Supported by ENB Dance for Parkinson’s Volunteers
Ruairiadh O’Connell, Contemporary Artist
This project was made possible through generous funding from the UCL HEIF Knowledge Exchange Fund
22. T-Factor
Central Saint Martins
Professor Adam Thorpe, UAL Principal Investigator
Professor Mick Finch, UAL Co-Investigator
Rhianon Morgan Hatch, Research Fellow
Eli Hatleskog, Research Fellow
Diana Ibanez Lopez, Course Leader MA Cities
Marcus Willcocks, Research Fellow
Adriana Cobo Corey, Senior Lecturer in Ethical Practice
23. Triangle of Tradition
Professor Rebecca Earley
Dr Laetitia Forst
Centre for Circular Design, Chelsea College of Arts
24. Zaatari Action
Professor Helen Storey, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion
Supporting partners include:
Givaudan Paris/ Dubai, Egypt
UNHCR UK, UNHCR Italia
The University of Sheffield
UNHCR Jordan
Norwegian Refugee Council
Blumont
Oxfam
KIMA
Washington University
25. Sea Money Maker
Maël Hénaff, Lecturer MA Material Futures
Central Saint Martins
26. Stretch Films
Stretch Films
Carlotta Allum, LDoc funded PhD student
Central Saint Martins
27. Future Neighbourhoods
Future Neighbourhoods
Professor Adam Thorpe, Central Saint Martins