It amused me to use the word hoedown (a gathering and/or a dance/music form associated with Americans in rural areas) to describe a design festival in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Here’s more about the festival from the Sept. 3, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,
… cutting-edge … design and engineering visions for the future will be showcased at the launch of Northumbria’s new P3i research group at the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) in London this month [Sept. 2012].
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Melding design with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, P3i brings together leading designers and engineers to find technology-based solutions for society’s needs and future ways of living. The centre will engage in a design-led exploration of emerging materials and technologies in, on and around the human body in the 21st Century.
As part of the 2012 London Design Festival, Northumbria’s P3i members will become designers in residence at the RAE from 18-21 September, showcasing some of their innovations in the Towards Future Ways of Living exhibition.
Visitors to the exhibition will be introduced to the group’s core values exploring the materials used to create products that matter to people. The P3i team will present an unexpected and unorthodox exhibition featuring four interactive rooms that will display glimpses of new materials and fabrication technologies.
Future products and services that combine innovative materials and fabrics with biological functions will be explored in P3i’s laboratories and studio facilities. Staff are currently at the forefront of research into anticipatory medical devices, such as the development of ‘smartware’ – fabrics that treat chronic wounds caused by diabetes and leg ulcers; ‘senseware’ – motion sensors embedded in textiles that can detect the onset of epileptic seizures and alert medical professionals; and ‘bioware’ – technology-embedded materials and surfaces in the home and on the body.
It won’t be all medical textiles, there’ll be a fashion influence and some hardcore engineering,
P3i researchers include Ann Toomey, Reader in Active Materials Research, and Nancy Tilbury, Reader in Fashion Interactions. Both recently arrived scholars at Northumbria University have extensive expertise and experience in design-led innovation with active materials. Tilbury, a fashion designer by training, interrogates new materiality and fashioning for the 21st century, uniting fashion and science in her work with clients, including her work on the creation of dynamic video clothing for the Black Eyed Peas 2011 world tour.
Also on board as part of the P3i research team are Lyndsay Williams, Reader in Hardware and Software Integration, and Dr Veronika Kapsali, Reader in Biomimetic Surface and Interface Engineering.
The P3I studio at Northumbria University has a description on its events page for the Future Ways of Living exhibition being presented at the London Design Festival,
As part of the 2012 London Design Festival P3i will become Designers in Residence at the Royal Academy of Engineering where visitors will be introduced to a future socio-enviro-techno integrated world. This journey will question & provoke dialogue around the needs & contexts of materials used to create products & services that matter to people.
Above all, the P3i designers will present an unexpected and unorthodox blend of ‘think tank’ vision and pragmatic methodologies for implementation and realisation. They are hoping to open up a debate on their ‘Future Ways of Living’ and position design as a critical and vital stage and voice in the formation and realisation of these concepts.
They offer some information about attending the free Future Ways of Living exhibition,
Exhibition Opening Times
Wednesday 19th September 9.30am – 6pm
Thursday 20th September 9.30am – 6pm
Friday 21st September 9.30am – 4pmVenue Address
The Royal Academy of Engineering
3 Carlton House Terrace
London
SW1Y 5DG
Phone: 02077660604Piccadilly Circus, Green Park, Charing Cross and Embankment underground stations are a short distance away
The Sept. 3, 2012 news release from P3I includes this image,
Research from P³i could change the way that people live in the future (Downloaded from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/browse/ne/uninews/p3ifuturedesign)
You can visit the 2012 London Design Festival website here for more details about the festival which takes place Sept. 14 – 23, 2012.