Research: Fruitful Futures
Informing sustainable development through art and design pedagogic practices.
Research summary
Research summary
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June – October 2016
The Fruitful Futures project imagined new ways to change the minds of local government and city development through design and made objects.
Researchers from the Living in Future Ecologies (LiFE) research group worked with students and the local activist community of urbanists and wildlife experts. These specialist perspectives informed the project throughout.
By using both academic research and creative design methods, the participants developed new ways to implement sustainable values and responsible urban planning in cities.
The project included:
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public presentations delivered during a walk, as part of a city festival
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a published book
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a collaborative project between art schools in Manchester and the Netherlands
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an exhibition as part of a design festival
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links to a strong research community
The exhibition was reported in a local TV news report, sharing key insights from the project with the local community. The project was also documented in an international design journal, expanding its audience.
The final step was to document the research project and findings in a global international design publication.
Research outputs
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Cocchiarella, F, Vargass V, Titterington, S and Haley, D (2018) Research informed sustainable development through art and design pedagogic practices in Sustainable Development Research at Universities in the United Kingdom Springer
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Cocchiarella, F and Wehmeyer van den Boom, J (2017) Makers to Change-Makers: A pedagogic investigation into making as a transformative tool to inspire social action, Paper presentation for the Workshop theme: Making Leaders (Innovation and Change) at the MakingFutures Conference
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Haley, D and Vargas, V (eds) (2016) Fruitful Futures: Imagining Pomona Gaia Project
Other media links
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Design Manchester: Pomona Island Design Lab
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Manchester School of Art: LiFE Salon, Fruitful Futures
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Twitter activity #PomonaIsland
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Instagram activity #PomonaIsland
Gallery
Research team
Research team
- Fabrizio Cocchiarella
- Sally Titterington
- Dr David Haley
- Valeria Vargas
- Prof Stuart Marsden
- Eddy Fox
- Judith Wehmeyer van den Boom
- Gunter Wehmeyer
- With support from the LiFE research group, undergraduate and postgraduate students in Manchester and the Netherlands, and the Pomona Community.
Contact us
Contact us
For general enquiries about this research project, you can contact Fabrizio Cocchiarella.