Gant, N. Duggan, K. 'Crossing Divides' co-designing ‘tech-tools’ for enabling intergenerational exchange and youth engagement in neighbourhood planning. 4th International Conference on the Geographies of Children, Youth and Families, San-Diego, USA.
Workshop convener 'Place-Maker-Space' tools and methods for ‘crafting communities’ and ‘making places’ in the post-global / post-localism era. Making Futures Conference, UK
Invited participant, Arts and Humanities Research Council 'Protopubllcs' / Social Design workshop, Lancaster UK.
Gant, N. 'Reminiscing Future Village' chapter in the Public Wisdom Publication, with contributions from Richard Sennett, Nick Tyler and Lynne Segal. Cubbitt 2015.
Gant, N. ‘Digi-tool’ archiving of the future community. Arts and Humanities Research Council, Connected Communities - Pararchive Conference, Leeds, UK
Gant, N. Duggan, K. Dean, T. Barnes, J. Encouraging ‘young digital citizenship’ through co-designed, hybrid digi-tools. Research Through Design Conference, Microsoft HQ, UK.
Workshop Chair - 'Multiple Voices in Design' / Research Through Design Conference
Gant, N. Community21 – ‘Digi-tools’ for the co-design of communities. Design, Social Media and Technology to Foster Civic Self-Organisation, Hasselt, Belgium
'Designing Resilience' co-design workshop - University of Brighton.
2014
Authored book chapter; Gant, N. Balneve, J. Adeyeye,K. 'Greening the Green - Community Water Sustainability in the Era of Localism - Whiley Press 2014.
Lydon, M. & Gant, N. & Keller, P. & Cronin, N.,'Co-Creating and Designing Culture and Sustainability: Innovations in Community Mapping from Europe, Canada and Indigenous Peoples', 6th Living Knowledge Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Widening participation workshop using the ubiquitous gaming platform Minecraft to engage young people in building a virtual vision of their neighbourhood as part of Young Digital Citizenship project.
Launch of 'digi-tools' toolbox for engaging young people in neighbourhood planning on Community21.org (toolbox)
Lead a community 'digi-tools' workshop with academics and community members, National University of Ireland
Leading the 'Matters' project with UG and PG students and staff in collaboration with Veolia (Europe's largest waste / resource management company) developing new material innovations from specific waste streams and design interventions to change behavioural issues that contribute to waste.
2013
Workshop presentation 'Visualising Engagement and Sustainability' at Engage Conference, Bristol.
Seminar paper Gant, N. 'Community21 case study', ESRC Seminar Series: Digital Policy: Connectivity, Creativity and Rights
Peer reviewed paper Gant, N. and Dean, T. 'Making Meaning', Making Futures Conference, Plymouth, UK.
Peer reviewed paper Gant,N. and Dean, T. 'Mediating Material Narratives for Meaningful Products', Poetics and Praxis - Research Through Design Conference, Newcastle.
Exhibition of Sole Searching Shoes (Breast Milk Booties, Businessman's Brogues and Flip-flopsam and Jetsam) at Baltic Centre Newcastle.
Launched 'Breast Milk Booties' in collaboration with Tanya Dean by invitation of the NHS Imperial Trust and The UK Milk Bank to promote World, Breast Milk Donor Day.
Presentation, 'Bin-it - Designed Interactions for Behaviour Change' at the Brighton Eco-technology Show.
Presented symposium paper; Gant, N. Duggan, K. 'Communities as the Designers and Visionaries of Their Neighbourhoods Under Localism' at the International Communities in the Digital Age Symposium, Christchurch University.
Co-devised and delivered the 'Waste zone' and seminar series with colleague Duncan Baker-Brown at Eco-Build, the world's largest design and build exhibition. A range of academic and industry speakers delivered solution focused debates and programmes to industry professionals relating to material sustainability, security, circular economy and waste resources. This included the industry premier of Jeremy Iron's film 'Trashed'.
'Digital Citizenship' project funded by the Nominet Trust in collaboration with Action in Rural Sussex. Co-designing a toolkit of 'apps' with young people to empower their participation in neighbourhood development under new 'Localism' legislation.
Co-investigator on Building Research and Innovation Deals for the Green Economy (BRIDGE), Intereg funded project.
Brighton Science Festival interactive exhibition
The True Value of Materials - University of Brighton Gallery.
2012
'Meaning Making' feature article / report by global trend forecasters WGSN published to their 78,000 industry subscribers worldwide which includes fashion industry (ranging from Arcadia group to Prada), automotive, surface design, interiors, technology, visual merchandising and product design - clients include Apple, Nike and Samsung.
Devised and curated 'On Our Doorsteps - Local Design Activism' exhibition, presented at 100% Design / London Design Festival as part of the Eco Design Zone and sponsored by the shows owners Media Ten. The exhibition features a curated collection of multi-disciplinary creative work that re-imagines and utilises 'local' as a methodological basis. Exhibits included new works from leading designers such as Max Lamb and Dominic Wilcox and product launches from international brands such as New Balance. The show was accompanied by a seminar debate session engaging industrial design communities with the notion of localism as a means to resilience and sustainability (social,economic and environmental). The exhibit featured in numerous press features and articles including ICON and Core77.
Devised and chaired the sustainable design industry seminar debate sessions for the UK's largest design show 100% Design at the London Design Festival between leading design industry representatives and academics. Event 1; 'Sustainable Materials and Meanings' debated the adoption of sustainable materials in the design industry and the use of materials for communicating both creative and corporate, ethical and ecological philosophies. Event 2; 'Local Design Activism' discussed the reemergence of locality as a methodological basis for creative activism and impact and social, economic and environmental development against current contextual pressures and alongside 'localism' legislation.
Department of Energy and Climate Change LEAF funded project to deliver envisioning exercises with two communities undertaking energy projects that communicate possible built environment changes for local resilience to public constituencies.
Conference paper Gant, N., 'Enabling communities as the new planners and architects of their neighbourhoods' at the UK and Ireland Neighbourhood Planning Conference.
Paper presentation at the Green Architecture Day - 'localism and green building, the antidote to nimby-ism'.
2011
'Future Village' - envisioning workshop, co-designing the 'neighbourhood plan' for Heathfield in 2061 / 50 years ahead. Funded by Gulbenkian Foundation in collaboration with Action in Rural Sussex.
Presentation by Invitation of Community21 and Future Village project at the Rural Commission.
'Community 21' - Neighbourhood planning and network tool, pilot goes live in communities across East, West Sussex and Kent
'Sole Searching' - FRSF funding for user engagement and material methodology development research - first products completed
'Den Building' - lottery funded, social engagement pilot completed
'Community 21' - presented at regional 'Localism Forum' for Association of Local Councils, National Fieldworkers Conference for Action in Communities in Rural England and at The east and West Sussex County Research Networks
Production of 'Flip-Flotsam and Jetsam' shoes constructed onsite from plastic beach waste collected by volunteers and the Oceanic Conservation Society, rewarding collectors with a practical pair of beach shoes, embedded with local significance, value and enduring meaning, whilst helping protect the environment and raise awareness of issues of marine conservation and waste with Tanya Dean.
Silcon and carbon / coal slag hybrid material formation post engagement with Cutacre Colliery in Greater Manchester. The material is stable and mouldable and will be applied to products as a waste stream resource with cultural significance with Tanya Dean.
2010
'Community21' (Toolbox for 21st Century Community) - pilot web application, in communities across South East England. Paper for Gateways, International Journal of Community Engagement Research, Presentation at AIRS conference, to Minster of Environment and Climate Change (Charles Hendry), International Conference 'Making the Invisible Visible'
'Den Building' - Piloting and field testing in communities in South East England. lottery funded
'Sole Searching' - Undertaking preliminary trials, user testing, material production and project funding applications
bitwrapped.com (The Thought That Counts) - building social enterprise and retail portal
2009
'The Thought That Counts' - seminar and creative workshop attended by leading creative professionals and researchers including Lin Cheung, Alex Rich, Martin Anderson, Jurg Lenny, Barnaby Barford, William Warren and Freddie Yauner
'Toolbox for 21st Century Community' - seminar and workshop
'Toolbox for 21st Century Community' - project presentation, South East Rural Community Council Conference
Task Green Ltd - Industrial recycled material and product application development and consultancy
2008
'Redesigning Design' Keynote speaker, lecture series to industry professionals, 100% Design,London
'100% 'Sustainable?' Event (seminar and research gathering exhibition) entitled "Models of Sustainable Design" - London
'Toolbox for 21st Century Community' Project Presentation - Community and University Partnership Programme Conference
2007
'100% Sustainable?' Event (research gathering exhibition and masterclass) entitled 'Approaches' - London
'Product Life' - creative workshop and prototype creation
'100% Sustainable?' Seminar - with presentations from Dr Kate Fletcher, Bill Dunster (Zed Factory), Tejo Remy, Spout Design, Frog Design and Jason Bruges.
Co Edited Book; Gant,N.& Chapman,J.,Designers Visionaries and Other Stories (Earthscan 2007)
'100% Sustainable?' - research gathering exhibition and seminar event, entitled 'Perceptions of Sustainable Design' - Earls Court, London Design Festival.
Co-directed '100% Sustainable?' - seminar with presentations from world leading proponents of sustainable theory and practice including Prof Ezio Manzini, Alistair Fuad Luke, Edwin Ddatschefski and Prof John Wood.
2005
'GreenHouse' - major Lottery grant funded, project to re-imagine the 'charity shop' winning the National Charity Associations national design award. Conversion of former bus depot into community recycling, reuse and resale centre.
Plastics Design the Unlikely Pioneer of Sustainable Product Relationships - paper presentation at the International Plastics Design Conference - Berlin
2004
Dfutures/Design Council funded seminar event
'50 years of the Stratocaster' - exhibition proposal consultancy commission work for Fender Guitars and the International Guitar Club
'Bright-space' - geodesic, monocoque building development presenting a low impact plastic building, sponsored by Eastman as an exemplar use of cold form Spectar TM material. Chosen as best in show by Habitat, Living Etc. Commercial application interest from Habitat, NHS, National Trust and Droog.
2003
'Apple Trees' - major exhibition proposal, exhibit and product design and development commissioned by The Beatles, Apple Corps for exhibition showing the 'fab four's' personal photography collections. Development of a transparent material topiary garden of interactive trees, representing each of the Beatle's albums and containing their associated photographic records and communicating the 'transparency' of an unprecedented personal exhibition.
2002
International Composites Design - Publication of chapter in the accompanying book for the International Composites Design Competition
'Marriage of Materials' - collaborative design research workshop and exhibition using leading material practitioners to explore a new lexicon of meaningful material combinations and hybrid languages funded by Lucite International, Perspex, REED PLC and The Crafts Council.
2001
'Perspex Frost' - industrial material research and consultancy and product launches
'Lucite Futures' - Commissioned industrial research paper and proposal for Lucite TM.
2000
Bright-space exhibition commissioned by ICI, Perspex to communicate and launch innovative applications of new thermo-formable material to the design industry. Featured as best of London Design Festival by in International Frame magazine, features in Architects Journal, Design Week and Blueprint, book 'Plastics - Materials for Inspirational Design' (Lefteri 2001).
1999
Commissioned to develop major Installation at V&A Museum central atrium, gallery and garden for London Design Festival Millennium year celebrations - attended by 500 dignitaries from creative industry. Utilising new 'super efficient' lit materials
Commissioned research and development project and launch of major new efficient material innovation, Prismex TM for ICI. Developed new material attributes and applications leading to corporate launch at 100% Design, London. Material selected as Millennium product by DTI, Government selection committee.
Exhibitions
2013
Wastezone - Ecobuild, Excel, London
Poetics and Praxis - Baltic Centre, Newcastle.
Brighton Science Festival
The True Value of Materials - University of Brighton Gallery.
2012
On Our Doorsteps - Local Design Activism, 100% Design, London Design Festival
'Meaning Making Exhibition' PUMA HQ, Heals Building, London
'On Our Doorsteps' Pilot, Brighton Eco-Fair
2008
'100% Sustainable?,' 100% Design, London
2007
'100% Sustainable?,' 100% Design, London
2006
'100% Sustainable?,' 100% Design, London
2005
'Euroshop,' Dusseldorf, Germany
2004
'Brilliant,' V&A Museum, London, England
'100% Design,' London
'Visual Communications,' Milan
'Visual Communications,' Paris
2003
'100% Design,' London
'Any Colour You Like,' Building Centre, London, England
