Even big fashion labels like H&M have discovered that a designer’s social responsibility is not limited to the creation of attractive and affordable clothing. Catarina Midby, head of sustainability with the Swedish clothes retailer, will talk about this at What Design Can Do, a conference that focuses on the social impact of design.
Artefact
What Design Can Do
Design conference in Amsterdam
This second annual What Design Can Do conference features a line-up of designers who demonstrate that design is not just aesthetics but also a tool with which to tackle social problems.
Architect Cameron Sinclair, for example, set up Architecture for Humanity, a group that offers design help after crisis situations like the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. He is in Amsterdam at the invitation of Richard van der Laken, creative director of What Design Can Do. Each year Van der Laken selects an international gathering of designers who apply their professional expertise and talent in responding to social issues. What is so special is that the participants are active in all disciplines: fashion, graphic design, product design and architecture. Their ideas and input will be gathered into a book that will be published at the end of the two-day event.
In addition to Midby and Sinclair, important guests this year include Brazilian architect Marcelo Rosenbaum, who carries out makeovers in the slum areas of Sao Paulo, Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf, Austrian food designers Honey & Bunny, and Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.
What Design Can Do is supported by the Dutch Design, Fashion Architecture; SNS Reaalfonds; Mondriaan Fund; Premsela Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion; Amsterdam Fund for the Arts; Doen Foundation, Capital D (Design Cooperation Brainport); The Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture (Fonds BKVB); Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI); Het Parool newspaper; Design Indaba; Items magazine, Lenoir Schuring printers; Association of Dutch Designers (BNO); Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam; Lloyd Hotel; Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA); Association of Dutch Interior Designers (BNI); and Modint trade association.
What Design Can Do Annual Design Conference
Date: 10 & 11 May 2012
Venue: Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
More info: www.whatdesigncando.nl
Tickets: www.whatdesigncando.nl or www.ssba.nl
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