Full Title: Talk the Talk: How Rural Craftswomen mediate Social Agency through Traditional Doll Making practice in KwaZulu-Natal

In her paper Kate Wells will discuss some of the pertinent theories, methodologies and evaluation modes which underpinned her research with a small group of rural traditional craftswomen from KwaZulu-Natal.

This paper explores curation as a developing field within the creative industries and explores the theory, methodology of such new sites of practice outside the traditional gallery and museum context. It evaluates a new role for curating in terms of economic and cultural growth.

Seven years ago Kingston University and the Design Museum London launched a Masters programme in response to a clear need for professionals who could curate and communicate design within the new landscape of the changing museum and design sectors.

A program of non-prescriptive design in a culture of innovation

In our understanding the Innovation is a space defined by the conceptual innovation and her implementation tools: technical innovation and formal expression. They are together the coordinates of this SPACE of INTEGRAL INNOVATION.

In this perception the dynamic axle, which is major in developing the space, the “z” coordinate is the conceptual innovation. This ability of creating genuine ideas is the most important asset of humanity and the reason of our overwhelming adaptability to change. From this point of view, educating the integral innovation is of high relevance.

Full Title: Design opportunity mapping for the small scale sector - bringing real life scenario into classroom education

Although the semi organized sector consisting of a large number of small scale industries and craft clusters in India together comprise a huge section in terms of both human resource and economy, it has been largely neglected. They face typical issues and problems not traditionally dealt with by industrial designers.

Craftspeople still practice crafts as a live tradition and/or as an economic activity. Crafts in India has been continue to contribute to design education in numerous ways. In fact, the very approach to design education in India was laid on the foundations of crafts practices in the country.

In order to understand the origin and the development of the Italian designer's training, it is crucial to show the industrial and cultural context of this country, which made the 'Made in Italy' successful.

Products nature is certainly what has mainly contributed to such success, but product is only the output of an original industrial structure, as Italy was different from other countries with the same economic development: it has taken up a production system going by routes different from the big industry - economies of scale, standardization, serialization.

A framework for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Technology Research: A cross-cultural Indo-South African research project.

The craft sector is currently one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. It involves commercial and industrial interest in the manufacturing, marketing and design aspects. Within this proposed project we will focus on the study and development of traditional and appropriate technologies in the manufacturing processes of crafts.

Modern techniques will be adapted, adopted and incorporated with traditional technology. Research done on ground level will help to identify rural development projects, problem areas and technological innovation possibilities.