Ireland

DRS2018 Limerick - Conference summary

The 2018 Design Research Society international conference was held in Limerick, Ireland from 25 - 28 June 2018. Thanks to record-breaking weather, umbrellas intended for traditional Atlantic Irish rain were put to use as sun shades and the campus of the University of Limerick came to life, providing a beautiful backdrop to an amazing event.

This is just a quick summary of the conference with some links and resources. We’ll be posting a series of conference reports from a range of different perspectives and voices over the coming weeks (so check your notification settings to make sure you get these).

The scale of the conference demonstrated the continuing growth and development of design research at an international level, with 600+ delegates from all around the world. The domain of design research was clearly represented by the themes emerging from work submitted by DRS members.

This landscape of design knowledge culminated in 7 volumes of Conference Proceedings:

• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 1
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 2
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 3 (part a)
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 3 (part b)
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 4
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 5
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 6
• Proceedings of DRS2018 - Volume 7

The conference was preceded by the PhD by Design event, hosting it’s second satellite event at a DRS conference. Work from the event will contribute to the 5th PhD by Design Instant Journal.

The conference hosted 3 main Keynote Debates around particular topics in design research as a catalyst for change. Technology did what technology does best (of course…). But people did what they are best at, too - finding their own ways to discuss, connect with, and develop ideas.  Videos of each debate are available here:

• Keynote debate Day 1 - Design research and industry impacts
• Keynote debate Day 2 - Social and Public
• Keynote debate Day 3 - Whose Design?

The workshops, discussions, and paper presentations were all well attended - even over-attended in the fantastic Limerick weather. And in between events the overall feel of the conference was one engaged activity and debate. You can find some of the conference photos here:

• Conference Day 1
• Conference Day 2
• Conference Day 3
• Conference Day 4

And, the DRS Council had a stall at the conference and it was great to have direct conversations with everyone face to face and online. We gathered some really useful feedback from the postcards and consultation session around our 4 key FutureDRS questions. A huge thank you to everyone who took time to get involved and we will publish the results on this shortly.

Next up, the biennial DRS LearnXdesign 2019 Conference will be held 9 - 12 July 2019 in Ankara, Turkey.

And the 2020 DRS Conference will be held at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Further details to follow soon…

DRS2018 Travel Tips

DRS2018 provides lots of travel and sightseeing tips for delegates at http://www.drs2018limerick.org/venue/conference-venue, including directions to Limerick from major airports and a list of favourite local pubs! In preparation for your trip, conference organisers recommend booking a room near the University of Limerick (pictured here). Staying near campus will be more convenient, as there is 5km between the UL campus and the city centre. That said, there will still be plenty of opportunities to explore the city. DRS2018 plans to set-up a bike sharing system to travel downtown - in addition to the taxis and busses already available. The gala reception and dinner will also take place in the city centre, at King John’s Castle and The Strand Hotel.

Follow DRS2018 on Facebook and Twitter for more information and updates.

Celebrating Irish Design at DRS2018

Taking place in Limerick, Ireland, DRS2018 will celebrate local design and design research. It was the Irish Year of Design in 2015 and DRS2018 builds on this momentum. On Tuesday, June 26^th, the conference is hosting a Bread & Butter Session in conjunction with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI). Bread & Butter is an IDI presentation series where delegates can learn about Irish design practice.

Beyond formal activities, conference goers can also explore Irish art and design in Limerick at the Hunt Museum, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Fab Lab Limerick and the EVA International festival, taking place at the same time as DRS2018. Conference organisers also encourage delegates to check out the Iterations journal, a local design research publication.