FORMakademisk 8-1 2015 THE WHOLE ISSUE

Abstract

in Oslo. The conference was a cooperative event between the Design Research Society (DRS) and the International Association of Universities and Schools of Design, Art and Media (CUMULUS), and hosted by the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design at HIOA. The theme for the conference was Design Learning for Tomorrow -Design Education from Kindergarten to PhD. The conference received an overwhelming response both ahead of the conference, with 225 admitted papers, and during the conference with 280 delegates from 43 countries listening to 165 presentations and having a good time in Oslo. The last day of the conference was the 17 th of May, Norway National Day, with traditional songs and a children's parade in the centre of Oslo.We see this positive response to the conference as a growing awareness of perceiving design in a broad interdisciplinary perspective in support for a better tomorrow. For years the Design Literacy Research Group, with a base at HIOA in Oslo, has promoted the idea that sustainable design solutions should include more than 'professional' designers; they should also include the general public as 'conscious' consumers and decision makers with responsibility for quality and longevity, as opposed to a 'throw-away' society. This is also the reason why the conference focused on design education from Kindergarten to PhD. This perspective was put forward as a contrast to most design education conferences where there is either a focus on design education for professionals or general education for children and non-designers. In the call for conference papers, we argued for a longitudinal perspective on design education where the education of professional designers is seen in relation to the general education of the public. This is becoming increasingly relevant as more decisions are being made on the basis of visual representations. We regard education at many different levels as important in securing a sustainable future for the design of everyday life solutions. For that, we need qualified and reflective decision makers with a consciousness for quality of design and solutions.Why have these issues of concern been so important for Norwegian researchers within this field? The answer goes back to the 1960 National Curriculum for primary and lower secondary schools in Norway, when art and crafts were merged into one subject. Currently, this subject includes art, architecture, design and visual communication. No other Nordic-or European-country seems to have developed a model similar to this. Today, we see the benefit of this merger where design is at the core of the subject for youngsters-building upon the best from art and the best from craft to become creative problem solvers and critical consumers. Hopefully we will soon see UNESCO or other organizations with responsibility for funding research recognize that we need more research and knowledge on what impacts design education from Kindergarten to PhD have on consumer habits and sustainable development at large. We hope that such projects are not far off...