University of South Australia (UniSA) DESIS Lab, Adelaide
University of South Australia (UniSA) DESIS Lab, Adelaide
Address: University of South Australia, School of Art Architecture and Design
North Terrace, City West Campus, Kaurna Building
Adelaide, South Australia, 5000,
Australia
Tel: +61 8 830 27096
http://www.unisa.edu.au/artarchitecturedesign
Director:
Stuart Gluth, Studio Head of Graphic Design
School of Art Architecture and Design, University of South Australia
North Terrace, City West Campus, Kaurna Building, Level 4
Adelaide, South Australia, 5000,
Australia
Tel: +61 8 830 20673, stuart.gluth@unisa.edu.au
Operations managers:
Ron Corso, Program Director of Visual Communication / Industrial Design
Tel: +61 8 830 29070, ron.corso@unisa.edu.au
External Advisor/ Former Director of UniSA DESIS Lab, Adelaide:
Dr Gjoko Muratovski, Course Coordinator and Lecturer in Communication Design
Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
Tel: +61 430 586 596
Background:
UniSA’s DESIS Lab is based at the School of Art, Architecture and Design (AAD). DESIS Lab works closely with the AAD on integrating social innovation and sustainable change through design in the teaching curricula. While these issues have always been areas of interest at the AAD, now, with the launch of the new DESIS Lab, these activities are more focused, better promoted, and further distributed.
We have just introduced two new courses: Design, Culture and Society (Year 1) and (Year 2) that are guided by the DESIS aims. These cross-disciplinary courses are taught to students enrolled in Visual Communication Design and to students enrolled in Product Innovation.
In these courses theory and research will be integrated with studio practice. The course structure and the assignments are written by the UniSA DESIS Lab and the DESIS team oversees the research and the projects in association with the relevant Course Coordinators and Studio Heads.
This ensures that new visions supported, innovative projects are started, social research is generated, and case studies are collected.
Objectives:
Our primary objective is to promote design-led sustainable social change and to become a catalyst that will support the design community in South Australia to become a major agent of sustainable change.
Activities (past and present):
Our staff and students have actively participated in various community-based enterprises and design competitions whose purpose is raising awareness for various socially important issues. We regularly participate and win awards at Positive Poster, Design Against Fur, 50x70, and similar UNESCO and ICOGRADA competitions. In 2009 we were the co-founders of the Greenpeace Design Awards together with Greenpeace Australia Pacific and we contributed the Awards Director, the Chairman of the Judging Panel, some of the judges and numerous contributions from our students. The Greenpeace Design Awards attracted over 1500 creatives from 77 countries.
In addition to this, our students are regularly invited to join Benetton’s Communications Research Centre - Fabrica to work on a variety of social causes, and we are also developing programs such “Unearthing Ideas” and “Drawing Everyday” for South Australian primary schools, where schoolchildren use drawing to express their emotions frustrations and aspirations safely and in inviting and encouraging environment.
Since its establishment, the UniSA DESIS Lab has taken over the coordination of this type of activities.
Primary research areas:
Our primary research areas are design ethics, social innovation and methods for creative idea generations.
Future programs:
We currently work with the SA Premier’s and Cabinet Integrated Design Strategy (IDS) team on the future development of the City of Adelaide.
Our students are working on a variety of projects in relation to the IDS whose aim is to increase the visibility of the project and to encourage the wider Adelaide community to take active involvement in the re-development of their city – not as passive citizens, but as citizens-designers.
Main partner
Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour (sd+b)
The Zero Waste SA Research Centre is a partnership between Zero Waste SA and the University of South Australia and it is based at the School of Art, Architecture and Design. This is an interdisciplinary Research Centre with interest and expertise in a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues. The Centre is developing international research expertise for intelligent, holistic solutions and improved decision making in environmental sustainability.
Project example
Location
