), held from October 10-13, 2024.Dr. Fantini joined Jon Goodbun and Tuukka Toivonen in a plenary session on Learning & Education and Socioecological Design, where they discussed their position paper, Cultivating a Regenerative Imagination at Art and Design Universities. The paper, co-authored with Dr. Toivonen, examines how art and design institutions could create distinct conditions that support regenerative thinking in design. Prof. Fantini van Ditmar and Dr. Toivonen propose that, unlike some science and engineering approaches, art and design education can cultivate an expansive ecological imagination grounded in robust critical thinking. With fewer conceptual and methodological and practical constraints, art and design allow for radical shifts, opening up space to reimagine and create critical frameworks aligned with regenerative principles.
Audience members shared positive feedback on the session’s approach to methodologies and the ways designers can shift and influence future design landscapes. One participant noting that it left them feeling hopeful: ‘Non-supremacy of methodologies, methods and how designers can shift and influence in the future [makes me feel hopeful]. As a design student, I appreciated this conversation a lot!’
This presentation was followed by a peer-reviewed paper presentation on October 18, which will be shared publicly upon release.
‘How can art and design cultivate critical expressions rooted in ethics of care and relationality to influence ecological, social, and economic structures?’
Delfina Fantini van Ditmar, PhD, focuses on ecological design and reflective practices as Professor of Biodesign and More-than-Human Perspectives. With a background in biology and design research, she explores paradigm shifts and material ethics, advancing regenerative and more-than-human perspectives
The research group Biobased Art and Design capitalises on the role of artistic practice in unlocking the unique potentials of living organisms for everyday materials and communicating these to a broader public. In doing so, the group aims to instigate and accelerate our widespread understanding, further development and usage of such materials. The group’s research approach encourages tangible interactions with the living organisms, such as algae, fungi, plants and bacteria, to explore and understand their unique qualities and constraints through diverse technical and creative methods taking artists, designers and scientists as equal and active partners in the material creation.
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