Alive. Active. Adaptive: Experiential Knowledge and Emerging Materials
Elvin Karana
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands / Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda, Netherlands
Elvin Karana is Professor of Bio-based Art and Design at the Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology (CARADT) in the Netherlands, where she leads the “Material Incubator,” a creative research lab that aims at designing materials that incorporate living organisms and exploring their potential in fostering an alternative notion of the everyday. She received her Ph.D. in 2009 from the Delft University of Technology, where she is currently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, leading the research group Materials and Fabrication Design. She has published in Materials and Design Journal, International Journal of Design, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Design Issues. She is the main editor of Materials Experience: Fundamentals of Materials and Design (Elsevier, 2014).
Nithikul Nimkulrat
Faculty of Design, OCAD University, Canada
Canada
Nithikul Nimkulrat is a practitioner-researcher who intertwines research with textile practice, focusing on experiential knowledge in craft processes in the context of design research. Prior to her current appointment as a Tenured Associate Professor in Material Art and Design at OCAD University in Canada, Nithikul worked at the Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia, 2013–2018), Loughborough University (UK, 2011–2013), and Aalto University (Finland, 2004–2010), where she earned a doctorate in 2009. Nithikul’s active involvement in international research networks can be recognized by her leading roles as the convener of the DRS Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) and the leader of the Cumulus Association’s Fashion and Textile Working Group. She is the main editor of Crafting Textiles in the Digital Age (Bloomsbury Academic, 2016).
Elisa Giaccardi
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
Netherlands
Elisa Giaccardi is Professor and Chair of Interactive Media Design at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), where she leads the Connected Everyday Lab. Since 2018, she has also held a visiting position as Professor of Post-Industrial Design at the Umeå Institute of Design, Sweden. After conducting groundbreaking work in metadesign, and collaborative and open design processes, Elisa has in recent years focused on the challenges that a permeating digitalization brings to the field of design. Her recent research engages with “things” in new ways, with the starting point that “things” now can hold both perception and possible agency (e.g., AI), and thus “participate” in design and use in ways that previous industrially produced objects could not.
Kristina Niedderer
Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Kristina Niedderer (Ph.D., MA [RCA]) is Professor of Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. Previously, she worked at the University of Wolverhampton (2007-2018). She was originally apprenticed and worked as a goldsmith and silversmith in Germany. She then trained as a designer and design researcher in the United Kingdom. Niedderer’s research focuses on the role of design in engendering mindful interaction and behavior change. She leads the European project Designing for People with Dementia (2016-2020), MSCA grant agreement No. 691001.
Jeng-Neng Fan
Department of Design, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Taiwan
Jeng-Neng Fan is Associate Professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He trained as an industrial designer and researcher in the U.S. and received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His research interests target innovative materials in design, digital design and manufacturing, and designed products and variations. His design works have been recognized by many international design competitions and organizations, including the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) and the Red Dot Award. His recent publications have appeared as book chapters in Cold Hibernated Elastic Memory Structure: Self-Deployable Technology and Its Applications (CRC Press, 2018).