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Because the world needs: Design

A tent in an a location in the Antarctic
  • Written byDan Austin
  • Published date 01 June 2023
A tent in an a location in the Antarctic
Ephemeral installation across the Antarctic Peninsula, Lucy + Jorge Orta | Photograph: Thierry Bal

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