Laurens Kolks > spatial design

The Equity Dialogues @ Dutch Design Week

25 October 2024

Event

Changing Gears - 4TU.Design United

Curating, organising and hosting the Equity Dialogues event.
Production team: Angeliki Balayannis, Marijke Idema, Louise Klomberg, Laurens Kolks and Emma Pavans de Ceccatty.

For five consecutive days, Design United sparked debate around design research in Natlab Eindhoven. Workshops, debate, outdoor experiences, and project presentations sought to ignite a critical discussion about five themes: Living Environments, Thriving Planet, Digital Future, Health and Well-Being and Equal Society.

How can design support more equitable societies?
This cental question we collectively explored on Friday October 25 through live project presentations, mini-documentaries, and a lively moderated panel discussion that together provided some answers, but (inevitably) also raised several new important questions to address. Is participation necessarily a good thing? What about participation fatigue amongst stakeholders that have other worries to prioritize? How can universities better inform each other about their research efforts in particular areas and locations, so not to unintentionally put a burden on local residents? Thanks to all attendants who joined in and shared their perspectives on these and other issues that were discussed.

Many thanks to Yaro Berendsen, Stella Boess, Gijs van Leeuwen, Svetlana Mironcika, Susanna Osinga, Abhigyan Singh, Remke Timmermans and the Moving Rivers initiative for presenting their thought-provoking work.

Photographs by Louise Klomberg

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