Luke McConnell – Hear Us Out: Fostering Intergenerational and International Connections through Design Education.
The Hear Us Out Poster Project is a collaborative initiative that bridges intergenerational and international divides through creative practice. Involving design students from eight tertiary institutions across Ecuador, Singapore, Indonesia, the UK, and New Zealand, the project centers around students seeking advice from local elders for their cities and transforming these insights into typographic posters. These posters are then exhibited locally and internationally, fostering a dialogue between generations and cultures.
This presentation will explore how the project facilitates connections between diverse identities, cultures, and communities. By discussing the methodological approach, which includes qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, we will highlight the ethical considerations and the project’s impact on students’ perceptions of design’s role in promoting public good.
We will discuss the 2023 pilot with participants from the USA, China, Singapore, and New Zealand, and share new insights from the 2024 iteration. Key outputs for 2024 include public exhibitions in each participating city, a curated international travelling exhibition, a printed publication to contextualise the project and consider the cultural synergies, and a website archiving the posters.
Through this project, students gain insight into the intersection of creative practice and community engagement, seeing firsthand how design can be a powerful tool for fostering intergenerational and intercultural connections. The project also provides a platform for emerging researchers to engage in collaborative and reflective learning, contributing to the well-being of communities worldwide. This presentation will share our experiences and insights, emphasising the challenges and opportunities of managing an international collaboration.
Biography
Luke McConnell and Jordan Foster are experienced educators and creative practitioners who share a passion for design and tertiary education. Luke and Jordan are graphic design researchers and academics from the School of Media Arts at Wintec (Hamilton). Their practice-led research focuses on community engagement, collaborative design practices, and the impact of design on society.
Together, they have co-led initiatives such as the Hear Us Out Project, which brought together students from New Zealand, Ecuador, Indonesia, the UK, and Singapore to create design solutions that focus on community and public good. Their work emphasises global collaboration and the power of design to address social issues.
At the ANZAAE Conference, Luke and Jordan will explore the intersection of pedagogy and creativity, presenting insights from their collaborative projects and reflecting on the evolving role of design in education. Their shared expertise offers a dynamic perspective on fostering creativity and collaboration.