Cuban Experience
Cuban Experience
Professor Hazel Gamec and Victoria
Campbell from the Wanganui School of Design will be
representing New Zealand at the World Icograda General
Assembly in Havana, Cuba, later this month. Icograda is the
International Council of Graphic Design Associations, the
world body for professional graphic design and visual
communication.
Professor Gamec said New Zealand’s reputation on the international design stage is enhanced by the networks built up at Icograda, and voting rights between all member countries are equal. “That means that the New Zealand vote counts as much as the Chinese or the American vote.”
The World Congress will celebrate fresh perspectives on the intersection of contemporary culture and the evolution of design. It aims to address the influence culture has on design, how design is shaping urban identities and the opportunity to use design as an economic development tool. It will also offer participants a chance to discuss how technology and the internet are influencing traditional graphic and communication design.
With an expected attendance of 650 delegates from more than 20 countries, the Congress will be an exceptional opportunity for designers, consultants, design managers, buyers of design services, educators and students to gather, to share, and to learn.
“The Congress is made up of a very interesting and culturally diverse group of attendees, says Professor Gamec. “Design conferences usually attract people from only a few countries, but here we have people from many countries attending. It is also Cuba’s national cultural day while we are there and I understand there will be huge celebrations. I’m not too not sure what are in for but it will be interesting!”
Vicky Campbell, lecturer at Wanganui School of Design is taking part in the Icograda Indigenous Cultures project and is working with iwi to produce a New Zealand version. She is planning to implement the indigenous culture awareness campaign with her students at the Wanganui School of Design next year and is hoping to learn from other countries experiences at the Congress. “The Icograda Indigenous Cultures project coordinator, Robert Peters from Canada, will be coming to Wanganui in November. We are really thrilled to host him and are looking forward to showing him the best of Wanganui”. Eventually Miss Campbell aims to teach design students about copyright and misappropriation of indigenous icons.
Professor Gamec’s report at the world congress will include this year’s very successful Design Camp, which is a sponsored Icograda event. The theme of Design Survival Camp 2007 was Experimentation, and the camp differed quite substantially from previous years’ events. “It was a fascinating camp in that the speakers went beyond design, keeping it firmly in perspective relative to the larger social and political context. The diverse range of subjects included how Google and visual maps can be combined to represent social and ecological trends; genetics; the scientific experimental process; architecture; and safeguarding the intellectual property of Maori design”.
With temperatures in Havana expected to be in the high twenties, Professor Gamec said they would be packing plenty of mosquito repellent and sun block.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Professor Hazel Gamec, Academic Manager, Wanganui
School of Design, Ph. 06 965 3800, or
Christine Beech,
Director of Communications, UCOL, Ph: 06 952 7001 ext: 70789
BACKGROUND
Conference web site: http://havana.icograda.org/web/
What is ICOGRADA? http://icograda.org/web/about.shtml
The 2007 Icograda Foundation lecture will be delivered by Cuba's Eusebio Leal Spengler. An internationally recognised figure, Dr. Leal has been invited to share his personal experiences as La Habana's City Historian and UN Goodwill Ambassador, with a particular focus on the preservation of Habana Vieja and its contribution to protecting cultural diversity.
The Icograda Foundation was established in 1991 for the advancement of worldwide understanding and education through the effective use of communication design. The lecture will take place on 25 October 2007, the first evening of the Icograda General Assembly 22.
The Icograda Foundation lecture will be held at Cuba's National Museum of Fine Arts. This invitation-only element of Design/Culture: Icograda World Design Congress 2007 will be attended by invited guests, delegates to the Icograda General Assembly 22, members of the academic community, senior officials from cultural institutions and government officials.
The National Museum will also feature the international exhibition Posters for Cultural Diversity, showcasing the work of designers invited to express the Congress theme visually. Icograda is a member of UNESCO's Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity and the exhibition has received the support of UNESCO's Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bruzzone to deliver education keynote
Jose Korn Bruzzone (Chile) will deliver the keynote address at the Education Conference from 20-21 October which opens the Icograda World Design Congress 2007 being held from 20-26 October in La Habana, Cuba. In addition to a celebrated career as an independent designer, Bruzzone has taught at the Design Department of the University of Chile, University of Valparaiso (Chile), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) and is a past Director of the Design School of Universidad del Pacifico. He was a founding partner and the first president of the Professional Graphic Designers Association (ADG) and Professional Designers College. He served as a member of the Icograda Executive Board from 1991-97, including a term as President from 1995-1997. Today, he manages the design department of INACAP Corporation.
Jose Korn Bruzzone (Chile) will deliver the keynote address at the Education Conference from 20-21 October which opens the Icograda World Design Congress 2007 being held from 20-26 October in La Habana, Cuba.
A Latin
Ameican design education leader
In addition to a
celebrated career as an independent designer, Bruzzone has
taught at the Design Department of the University of Chile,
University of Valparaiso (Chile), Universidad Nacional de
Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) and is a past Director of the
Design School of Universidad del Pacifico. He was a founding
partner and the first president of the Professional Graphic
Designers Association (ADG) and Professional Designers
College. He served as a member of the Icograda Executive
Board from 1991-97, including a term as President from
1995-1997. Today, he manages the design department of INACAP
Corporation.
Exploring the intersection between culture
and design education
Building on the overall congress
theme of Design/Culture, the two-day education conference
will explore four sub-themes:
- Cross-cultural
communication in today s design curriculum
−
Relationship between ethnography, anthropology and design
− Perceptions of others identities: How do we read
other cultures?
− Social responsibility and
sustainable practices as factors in curriculum
development
Representatives of Icograda Member associations will gather on 25-26 October to review the activities of the past two years, ratify new members, and discuss future perspectives of Icograda and of professional communication design practice. Icograda Members will also elect the Icograda Board for the 2007 - 2009 term.
Ends