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Design in plastics from the practical to the philosophical
This conference provided a forum for scholars, art & design practitioners, and members of the plastics industry from five continents to examine the past, present and potential of plastics in a balanced way, juxtaposing the positive with the negative. We are grateful to Covestro AG, Germany; Reliance Industries Ltd; the British Plastics Federation; the Plastics Historical Society; and Rutlands Plastics for financial support; and the Knowledge Transfer Network; British Plastics and Rubber; and Plasticity for support in kind.
Sponsors
We were grateful for sponsorship from Covestro AG, Germany; Reliance Industries Ltd, India; the British Plastics Federation; the Plastics Historical Society; and Rutland Plastics. We were also grateful for support in kind from the Knowledge Transfer Network; British Plastics and Rubber; and Plasticity.
Programme: 24 September 2015
Keynote 1
Kigge Hvid (INDEX: Design to Improve Life, Denmark): Plastics in design to improve life
Session 1 - Plastics’ reality: a look at the provocative nature of plastics
This session focused on the challenging reality of plastics in promotion, product and packaging.
Joanne Lee (Sheffield Hallam University), Witches knickers and carrier bag theories: thinking through plastic
Alan Manley (Loughborough University), Wear and affect: cosmetic obsolescence of plastics in digital products
Dom Lane (Colour & Thing Marketing Agency, Bristol), Plastic Brandtastic: a potted history of brand bribery from Cracker Jack to Happy Meals
Russell Gagg (Arts University Bournemouth), The material consciousness of plastics.
Keynote 2
Eric Bischof (Covestro AG, Germany): Start thinking in cycles
Session 2 - Plastics and the environment
This session focused on ways to improve the impact of plastics on the environment.
Abu Saifullah, Ben Thomas and Bob Cripps (Bournemouth University), Fracture behaviour analysis of rotary moulded plastic materials used in marine leisure craft application
Susan Mossman (Science Museum, London), Plastics and social responsibility
Programme: 26 September 2015
Session 3 - Plastics as muse
This session focused on how the different characteristics of plastic materials can contribute to creativity.
Flora McLean (Royal College of Art, London), Inspirational characteristics of plastics: can plastic be considered a muse for future feminist innovation?
Richard Hooper (Liverpool Hope University), Thomian luminosity in CNC fabricated cast acrylic sculpture
Keynote 3
Sebastian Conran (Sebastian Conran Associates, London): Deplastification
Session 4 - Printing plastics
(parallel session)
This session focused on the potential of 3D printing as a resource for artists and as a contributor to public appreciation of plastic materials.
Roderick Walden, Cathy Lockhart, Stefan Lie & Berto Pandolfo (University ofTechnology Sydney, Australia), Imperfect aesthetic
Daniel Rourke & Morehshin Allahyari (Goldsmiths, University of London and London South Bank University), The work of art in the age of material speculation
Evan Raskob (Ravensbourne, London), Wound sounds – turning recorded sound into plastic sculpture using computational design and 3D printing
Session 5 - Plastics legacy
(parallel session)
This session focused on issues relating to plastics heritage within museums.
Brenda Keneghan (Victoria and Albert Museum, London), The changing fortunes of plastic objects in museums and galleries
Deborah Cane & Rachel Cockett (Birmingham Museums Trust), Art or a cart? ARTicle 14, Débrouille-toi, toi-même!
Amelia Knowlson (Newcastle University), Plastic networks: theability of 3D printing to facilitate relationships between museums, commitees and companies
Session 6 - Plastics and value
This session focused on plastics in relation to different value systems and their changing fortunes within these value systems.
Günter Latterman (University of Bayreuth, Germany), Glass and plastics – a provocative comparison of two polymer classes
Gerson Lessa (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Materiality and perception: plastics as precious materials
Kirsten Hardie (Arts University Bournemouth), Plastic designs that can disgust and delight: the polemic polarizing of plastics
Tone Rasch (Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology), National attitudes around the introduction and reception of cellulose fibres in Norway
Maria Georgaki (University of the Arts London), The canonisation of plastics: plastics and aspects of ‘value’ in the ILEA / Camberwell collection
Mark Suggitt (Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, Derbyshire), Plastic fantastic lovers: plastics and popular culture 1945-2015
For pertinent statements made by all speakers, tweeted on the day, please see Provocative plastics notes on the MoDiP blog.