2023 – 2024 | Food Design

In 2023, working with Gerbrand van Melle and Barbara Ribeiro, I collaboratively launched the DES213 Food Design course for the Bachelor of Design (BDes) students at the University of Auckland. In 2023, I refined and co-taught the DES213 Food Design course with Mairi Gunn, where it continues to be offered as an elective in the BDes. Keywords: #FoodDesign #LocalFood #PacificFood #FoodDesignThinking Overview: Food is central to human sustenance, however its production also plays a significant role in the impact that human civilisation has on the planet. The special topic offering of DES213 explored food as an essential but complex social, technical and ecological system from global and local Aotearoa and Pacific contexts. It unpacked the basics of the social aspects of food from cultural and anthropological perspectives, as well as food from the cyclic perspective of production in agriculture, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste or recycling in a more circular ... Read More

2021 – 2023 | Common/Room

common/room: using Extended Reality technologies to support intercultural relationships in Aotearoa was a PhD in Design thesis project with creative practice by Mairi Gunn, supervised by Prof Mark Billinghurst, Director of the Empathic Computer Laboratory, Dr Moana Nepia, choreographer, video artist and curator, and myself as the main supervisor. The discursive design project common/room explored human–digital–human encounters across cultural difference. Overview: common/room comprised a suite of extended reality (XR) experiences that use technology as a bridge to support human connections and overcome intercultural discomfort. The installations are exhibited as an informal dining room, where each table hosts a distinct commensal experience designed to bring people together in a playful yet meaningful way. Each experience uses different technologies, including headset-displayed 360° 3D virtual reality (VR) (common/place), 180° stereoscopic projection (Common Sense) and three iterations of an augmented reality (AR) experience (Come to the Table!  First Contact–Take 2 and haptic HONGI). In ... Read More

2013 – 2021 | Designing Development

Designing Development: An Exploration of Technology Innovation by Small-Scale Urban Farmers in Johannesburg was my Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy in Development Studies awarded in March 2021 by the University of Johannesburg. The project was supervised by Dr. Naudé Malan, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Johannesburg and Prof. Anna Meroni, Politechnico di Milano, Italy. Overview: Both the field of Development and discipline of Design were conceived from agendas of capitalist driven economic growth. Despite having to stand against this current, a minority of practitioners and academics in both these arenas have critically realigned their intentions towards more human-centred ideals. This Doctoral thesis adds new knowledge to this pursuit through the use of an original theoretical framework that combines both Activity Theory and the Capabilities Approach to systemically explore how people innovate technology. Within the complex Johannesburg food system, this study made use of an embedded multiple-case study ... Read More

2020 | Saint d’Ici

Saint d’Ici is a botanical perfumery based in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2020, I worked with the owner to redesign their packaging to align better with the sustainable aspirations of the brand. Overview: The perfume industry is one of excess. Saint d'Ici as a natural perfume brand wanted to move in the opposite direction whilst still retaining a luxury customer experience. The main flacon needed to be crafted to reflect the spirit of this artisinal natural perfume brand, and hence ceramics were explored. The owner of Saint d'Ici wanted to source locally and to streamline production - minimising the production steps, the number of suppliers and the variety of packaging that she needed to store. We seperated out the functional and the aesthetic. The functional is a standard amber bottle that serves as the refill and is easy to recycle and ship. The spray pump is a screw-on and ... Read More

2018 – Current | Unequal Stories

Unequal Stories: Researching Gender Equality in Design Disciplines was a collaborative research project funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund between the University of Falmouth (UK) and the University of Johannesburg DSD DESIS Lab. Co-researchers in the project include myself; Ashton Moseley, Lecturer, Dept of ID, UJ; Kimberly Bediako, Lecturer, Dept of Fashion, UJ; Prof David Prior, Director of Research, Falmouth University; Dr Robyn Cook, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader, MA Communication Design, Falmouth University; Bryan Clarke, Head of Graphic Design, Falmouth University; and Dr Laura Hodsdon, Research Fellow, Falmouth University. Overview: Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund, this research project between the United Kingdom (Falmouth University) and South Africa (University of Johannesburg) was a cross-national comparison that aimed to investigate gender equality, diversity and representation in the design disciplines in higher education and industry. This investigation included quantitative/statistical data analysis as well as a qualitative narrative inquiry of ... Read More

2019 – 2021 | BRICS ID Curricula in the Era of 4IR

This postdoctoral research project by Dr Oluwafemi Samuel Adelabu explored Industrial Design curricula in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), with a specific focus on BRICS countries in the Global South. The project was supervised by myself and Dr Karen von Veh from the UJ Department of Visual Art. Samuel is currently a lecturer in Industrial Design at the School of Environmental Technology at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria and was awarded a GES 4.0 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, UJ, to undertake his postdoctoral research. Overview: Quality education is crucial for sustainable development and is a tool for driving desirable change in fluid technological, socio-political and economic landscapes. Since the era of the first industrial revolution, product design has played a significant role in bringing about social-economic transformation through technology, and still holds great potential ... Read More