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Design + Making and Materials

Design + Making and Materials activities encompass design materialities and the cultural value, meanings and benefits of making in society and the effects of emerging technologies and materials on making and craft practices. Researchers in this theme conduct experimental practices exploring new technologies in performance and cultural heritage contexts. Researchers also explore spatial design and environments, examine design practices as forms of semiotic communication, and have driven forward the theory and practice of design fiction and speculative research practices.  

New practices and ways of articulating and disseminating ‘designerly’ forms of making are central to the work in this theme, as demonstrated by the international Research Through Design conference series which was established by and still steered by several design staff.  

Visit the Design + Making and Materials website to find out more


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Illustration of the ecosystem in Antarctica around 90 million years ago. Research shows that wildfires regularly occurred near the South Pole at that time. Credit:  James McKay (University of Leeds).
Dr Lea Ferellec, a Research Fellow based in Northumbria's School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics
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Page last updated 25/01/24

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