Design with the other 90% Exhibition; Cumulus Johannesburg. FADA Gallery September 22 - October 10.

The Faculty of Art Design and Architecture (FADA) and the Greenside Design Center (GDC) are jointly hosting the 2014 Cumulus Conference in Johannesburg – a first for Design Education in South Africa. 

The International Conference is scheduled to take place in the FADA auditorium from the 22 - 24 September. An accompanying exhibition is planned for the FADA Gallery. The exhibition will showcase co-design and co-creation projects and products; research and community based design solutions, addressing the conference theme, Design with the other 90%: Changing the world by Design.

Leon Krige, Marlboro Alex Fire walk (detail),  Photograph

Cumulus Johannesburg Exhibition; 

Design with the other 90%, 

FADA Gallery. 

The exhibition will open on Monday evening 22 September at 18:00.

The exhibition is curated by Chris Bradnum, the head of department for Industrial Design, at the University of Johannesburg. This is an opportunity for the international conference delegates, local industry, the art and design community, including FADA & GDC staff and students to experience unique community based art and design interventions firsthand.

Leon Krige, Mai Mai North Flyover. Photograph, 

The Design with the other 90% exhibition showcases design for development projects from the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture as well as the Greenside Design School. The work selected for the exhibition deals with the development of a variety of mechanisms to include communities in the design process. The work includes a mix of student and academics projects demonstrating how this theme is being dealt with at these levels.

Leon Krige, Marlboro Alex Firewalk (detail). Photograph..

The design of products or systems for developing communities in South Africa has a long history of imposing solutions without the active participation of the end user in the design process. This lack of participation has resulted in the limited acceptance of products developed for these communities. By improving the methods of including end users as co-creators in design for development projects there should be a better success rate for these types of projects. It is this very concept that the work at the Design with the other 90% exhibition attempts to grapple with: how can end users be included as contributors and decision makers in design for development projects?

The exhibition includes:

·      a wood burning stove designed with the community in HaMakuya, Limpopo;

·      a multifunctional farming tool for small scale farmers designed with community members in Soweto;

·      a retained heat cooker designed with members of the Ivorypark community, east of Johannesburg;

·      safe candleholders designed with community members in Alexander, Johannesburg;

·      eight Fixpert student projects designed with people living with disabilities around Johannesburg;

·      a series of low cost hydroponic growing systems designed with community members in HaMakuya, Limpopo;

Greenside Design School posters representing students research and design work with communities;  representing projects related to the DESIS network.

 The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg’s Design Society Development group;

·      garments designed and manufactured by community members in HaMakuya, Limpopo;

·      student Green Week projects designing potential business solutions with developing communities associated with the Enactus Group;

·      and research work investigating parks and playground equipment in the developing areas around the University of Johannesburg’s Bunting Road Campus.

On the opening night conference delegates including invited guests will have the opportunity to savour food prepared and served from uniquely designed South African products.

This exhibition runs parallel to the Cumulus Johannesburg 2014 - International Conference.

Leon Krige, Summit Street, East. Photograph

The Cumulus Johannesburg International Conference.

FADA Auditorium; 22 - 24 September 2014.

Leon Krige. Marlboro Alex Firewalk (detail),  Photograph

The Conference Theme, Design with the other 90%: Changing the world by Design, focuses on creative solutions that address the most basic needs of the world’s population not traditionally served by professional designers. The conference seeks to encourage discussions around the role art and design should play in sustainable social advancement, particularly in the context of the African continent. 

In 2007, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum hosted an exhibition entitled ‘Design for the other 90%’ which focused on design solutions that addressed the most basic needs of the 90% of the world’s population not traditionally served by professional designers. In 2008, Cumulus members signed the Kyoto Declaration, wherein they committed themselves to the ideals of sustainable development. 

Leon Krige, Summit Street, East (detail). Photograph.

The Cumulus Conference to be hosted by GDC and FADA seeks to bring discussions around the role art and design can and should play in sustainable social advancement, particularly in the context of the African Continent. Focusing on notions of respect, responsibility and sustainability, this conference seeks to explore the vital role that design, visual culture and design education plays in addressing pressing problems of our planet, particularly for under-served communities that are rarely benefactors of the work of artists and designers. It is envisaged that Africa’s distinctive capacity to respond to such problems will be highlighted.

Green Week FADA 2014.

Cumulus – embedding Art, Design and Media in the community, consists of 220 members from 48 countries; their headquarters are currently based in Helsinki, Finland. Visit the cumulus website for the latest news and conference registration details. www.cumulusjohannesburg.co.za

It’s less than one month left until Cumulus Johannesburg and the committee is hoping that you all are as excited as we are! We have an exciting event planned so please be sure to register asap. As always, if you have any questions at all about Cumulus Johannesburg please email us at info@cumulusjohannesburg.co.za. We are looking forward to seeing you all soon! To register for the conference follow link. http://www.local.register-cumulus.co.za/. The event will run for three days from 22 to 24 September 2014.

	Monday 22 September	Tuesday 23 September	Wednesday 24 September
Morning Session;  FADA	Keynote address followed by several streams of paper presentations (20 minutes each)
Lunch	Provided by the School of Tourism and Hospitality
Afternoon Session; Greenside Design Centre (GDC).  Busses will transport delegates  to and fro the venues.	Breakaway sessions including various workshops and activities.  GDC will be foregrounding how socially responsibly design and community engagement have been realised.		Poster Exhibition  Cultural Experience
Evening Session	Exhibition Opening FADA Gallery Bunting Road Campus 18:00 - 20:30.	Design with the other 90%; Changing the world by Design	Gala Dinner the forum company - Turbine Hall

Visit the exhibitors websites, or contact the researchers / designers directly through their emails and / websites - links to provided at the exhibition.