Researchers win British design scholarships

Gene Bawden and Vince Dziekan from the Faculty of Art and Design have won British Council Design Researcher Awards.

Gene Bawden and Vince Dziekan from the Faculty of Art and Design have both won British Council Design Researcher Awards (DRA). The awards allow early-career researchers to undertake short-term research projects in theUK in various areas of design. They also aim to develop new links between higher education institutions and research centres in the UK and Australia.

A lecturer in the Department of Design and studio coordinator in Visual Communication, Gene Bawden’s winning entry investigated the many faceted, though often forgotten qualities of domestic interiors, in particular those that are constructed for show rather than practical use like the front room, parlour, or “good” room.

“These spaces harbour a multitude of political, social and personal histories,” Mr Bawden said.

“This award and subsequent visit to London will be an extraordinary boost to my PhD research and help develop relationships with a number of UK institutions including the London College of Communication.”

Deputy head academic of the Department of Multimedia and Digital Arts, Vince Dziekan will develop his research association with the Foundation of Art and Creative Technology in Liverpool.

“This award is an amazing opportunity to build on my PhD research and focus on how the intersection of new technologies with exhibition space offers new possibilities for aesthetic experience,” Mr Dziekan said.

His focus will be on the upcoming Abandon Normal Devices festival in Liverpool and Manchester.

“Undertaking this research will enable me to gain significant insight into the intersections of art, design and media, establish international research collaborations and bring new critical and practice-based knowledge back to Australia,” he said.