We are pleased to announce that the DESIS food cluster is now at the launch!
The Food Cluster is an initiative of DESIS Network that explores and promotes design knowledge for social innovation and sustainability in the food system. The cluster aims to highlight some transversal issues expressed in each project and, with this, propitiates further reflections and transversal knowledge.
The Cluster has a website/blog that represents the work-in-progress of the knowledge and collects the various projects of the Network on which the reflection starts. http://desis-foodcluster.org
The cluster showcases food related projects generated in different Labs of the DESIS Network and, through the open comparison and discussion of different transversal issues, provides the possibility to: generate knowledge; understand better opportunities and threats; build transversal design knowledge; highlight the various design strategies used in different contexts and the results obtained in the specific projects.
The final aim of the Cluster is to build a common understanding of how design for social innovation can contribute to the food systems, to collect the experience of the Network around this, and to open up a mature debate with external cases and stakeholders, with particular reference to the very hot topic of putting design creativity and expertise at the disposal of the definition of food policies for the cities.
The timing of the Food Cluster is focussed to the creation of a dissemination event during the next Cumulus Milan Conference (The Virtuous Circle) in June 2015: this event, titled “Design for Social Food”, is scheduled for Sunday, June the 7th, at the Italian Pavilion of the International Expo. This will be the first public debate with invited experts of the results of the Food Cluster, and will be followed by the publication of a booklet collecting the results of the work done.
The Food Cluster, launched in January 2015 by an initial group of promoters (POLIMI – DESIS Lab, Milan, SDS Brussels, Design Society Development DESIS Lab, Johannesburg) is now open for submissions, and invites all the DESIS Labs to participate by presenting projects and experiences.
Detailed instructions on how to participate are available in the website.
Contacts: polimidesislab@gmail.com
Polimi DESIS Lab, Milan: Anna Meroni, Maria Ferreira Litowtschenko
SDS, Brussels: François Jégou; Christophe Gouache.
Design Society Development DESIS Lab, Johannesburg: Angus Donald Campbell; Naudé Malan