Contested innovation in global design cultures , a U-M global engagement program

Principal Investigator(s): Silvia Lindtner Links to an external site., School of information; Irina Aristarkhova Links to an external site., Stamps School of Art & Design; Robert Adams Links to an external site., Taubman College of Architecture

Partner(s): Joyce Lee, Medical School; Mark Ackerman, School of Information; Liz Kaziunas, School of Information; Sophia Brueckner, Stamps School of Art & Design; Guna Nadarajan, Stamps School of Art & Design

Unit(s) involved: School of Information, Stamps School of Art & Design, Taubman College of Architecture, Medical School

Summary: This annual initiative brings together U-M faculty and students across the disciplines of art, design, information, engineering, and architecture to develop a long-term partnership to grow Michigan expertise in Global Design Cultures. The program began May 2017, with those involved visiting the design and fabrication hub Shenzhen, north of Hong Kong, which produces more than 95% of all end-consumer electronics. It’s known as the “Silicon Valley of Hardware” and “Hollywood for Makers,” a hotbed for cutting-edge development in Internet of Things (IoT), including AR, VR, wearable computing, smart devices, re-use, and sustainable design.

This program provides a unique opportunity to engage with and learn from Shenzhen. The broader goals are to develop cross-regional and comparative perspectives on innovation, design, and creativity within the specific contexts of urban culture, government-industry partnerships, and political agendas in the innovation hub Shenzhen.

Students will design, hack, and produce a series of quick design projects that will be showcased in a popup design and innovation exhibition at the Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab. This work will set the stage for a project in December for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong BiCity Architecture and Urbanism Biennale, and function as a pilot for the future iterations part of this initiative.