Who Cares? Proceedings of the 8th Biannual Nordic Design Research Society

NORDES 2019 is the 8th biannual conference of the Nordic Design Research Society co-hosted by two Finnish institutions: Aalto University and University of Lapland. Convened in 2005, the society is an informal network of people inter- ested in design research. NORDES convenes biannual conferences and, on opposite years, biannual summer schools.

Who Cares? This question is a provocation for design research. What do, or should, we care about in design and design research today? Underpinning the question are issues of culture and agency – who cares, for whom, and how Taking care, or being cared for, evokes the choice of roles, and processes of interaction, co-creation and even decision-making. Caring, as a verb, emphasizes care as intention, action and labor in relation to others. Care can be understood as concern for that beyond oneself, for others and, thus, human, societal and even material and ecological rela- tions are at stake. The question of care is also a call for questioning relationships, participation and responsibility, democratic and sustainable ways of co-existing. From this expansive societal standpoint, we could even ask who cares about design? And what should we do about it? The 8th biennial NORDES conference poses the question, “who cares?”, exploring related questions, issues and propositions concerning responsibilities, relationships, ways of doing and directing design today.

Ramia Mazé edited the published proceedings of this conference.

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