iStock (Velvetfish)
The Critical Change Design Research Group brings together staff and postgraduate researchers who are seeking to address designing and designs in relation to practices and theories of change in their multi-faceted complexities.
We pay particular attention to the role that design, understood as an expanded field of practice, can and does play in creating positive social and environmental change, but also to how it is implicated in causing or reproducing some of today’s most pressing problems.
Central to our work is the understanding that critical enquiry is not optional but imperative. This urgent orientation shapes how we consider the ethical, political, environmental, cultural and technological dimensions of designing for a better and more just world.
What we do
Almost all of our activities are run as hybrid events (with online and in-person participation possible) and we have a tradition of our members’ live-scribing/illustrating our events.
Work-In-Progress Talks – Ad hoc but reasonably regular, our Work-in-Progress sessions are precisely that: opportunities for members to share what they are currently working on with a supportive group. Work doesn't need to be polished, and events are structured to allow for a short 20-30mins presentation and then 30mins of constructive Q&A and discussion.
Roundtables – Again ad-hoc, Roundtables are opportunities for discussion of a given topic of interest. They can be facilitated by any member of the group with an interest and usually are structured with a number of short invited position statements from participants to kick-off what is then an open discussion.
Keynote Lectures from Invited Guests – Often in collaboration with Programmes, or with funding from ECA’s RKEI Fund, this ad hoc activity has seen a number of external guests invited to talk to the group and wider School of Design about their work. Previous guests have included Mahmoud Keshavarz, James Fox, and Kate Fletcher. We tend to run one or two of these events a year.
Monthly Writing Retreats/Co-Working Sessions – On the last Friday of the month an afternoon is set aside for some dedicated writing time. Sessions, open to all researchers in Design, start and finish with very brief check-ins for accountability, but are otherwise silent.
Reading Groups – Dotted throughout the year, we share chapters, articles or excerpts of books to read and discuss together for an hour.
Annual Gathering – We gather for one long afternoon/day each summer to share a lunch, present Works-in-Progress from the group and host a Keynote lecture from an invited external speaker.
Our organisation
The group is co-convened by a small group of UoE staff and PGRs:
Brandon LeNoir (Current PGR Co-Convenor)
In addition to the list of what we do above, we have monthly Open Planning Meetings, that any of our members are welcome to come to in order to be part of our organising and decision-making.
Joining us
We welcome external members – please email a co-convenor to join if you are from outside ECA/UoE.
