Professional Practice Lecture: Localized Design, International Opportunities?
3 March 2020 | 6pm
Kensington, Lecture Theatre 1
The Western design process is assumed to be universal, but this approach does not necessarily relate to local making contexts in non-western societies. In these situations, can working through Localized Design Practice be a more viable solution? Though local skills and knowledge are generally treated as resources for exploitation by, rather than viable alternatives to, Western systems of design, can working with local practitioners on their own terms produce research projects that explore new avenues whilst still aligning with the expectations of an international audience?Â
Dr Wuthigrai Siriphon is Lecturer in Textiles Design at Thammasat University’s Department of Textile and Fashion Design in Bangkok. He received his PhD in Textiles from the RCA in 2018 for his research on traditional Thai manual weaving practice and collaborative textile design with a Thai weaving master. His thesis: Revealing Localised Design Practice in Thai Hand Weaving, won the 2018 Anglo-Thai Society Annual Educational Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2019 he won a grant from the British Museum and Arcadia’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme for his current research project: Wooden Reed Making of the Ethnic Lao Khrang in Thailand.Â