Background

Design and social innovation is both an academic discipline as well as a field of practice which has gained prominence in the last fifteen years. It is known under a variety of different terms, such as social design, socially responsive design, social design and innovation, and design for social innovation. Despite the fact that each of these terms differ in terms of perspective and scope, their binding factor is that design methods are used to generate socially innovative solutions to societal issues.

Recently, the importance of social relations in design and social innovation practice has gained increasing attention, in particular when trying to sustain projects or initiatives in the long term. In this context, the process of infrastructuring,  commonly understood as the development of an ecosystem which consists of actors that can actively help sustain initiatives during or after a participatory design process, is seen as a  promising approach. This is particularly relevant when working with local communities, as in this way, the ideas, solutions and ways of working with one another that have been co-created in the process can be preserved and continue in the long-term. 

The workshop

Questioning the assumed independence, controllable, and replicable nature of infrastructuring, the workshop aims to further investigate how relational approaches influence the process. Participants are invited to bring stories, images or artefacts that can help to illustrate how various dimensions of social relations influence their work with communities, and in which way design and/or designers play a role in supporting this. By sharing and reflecting on these experiences, participants collectively broaden their understanding of how designer practitioners and researchers can help sustain local initiatives as well as how position themselves accordingly. 

The facilitators

Cyril Tjahja is a design researcher and practitioner. He is currently working at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as assistant professor (Design Cultures). His research interests include design and social innovation, participatory design, and the role of the designer.

Anooja J is a craft researcher, currently pursuing her PhD at National Institute of Fashion Technology New Delhi, India. She is also involved in teaching undergraduate design students at College of Architecture Trivandrum in Kerala, India. Her research is focused on bringing innovation in craft - design collaborations.

Registering for the workshop

 Please register for the workshop by filling in the registration form below. Please be aware that the workshop will be held in-person in Sibu during the conference, as unfortunately we will not be able to offer hybrid participation.