Visual Expression
Choreography of Thought: Exploring the Intersection of Typography, Body Movement, and Chinese Philosophy in Contemporary Art Practice
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Haocheng Zhang
Haocheng firmly believes that the life of art and the art of life are one. Similarly, designer praxis and research are inseparable as they are driven by inquiries into humanity and pursuing how we construct the world with its gifts and traumas from history. His research is in new cross-disciplinary genres and forms as well as combinations of body, natural with graphic design and technology. This project experientially investigates choreography and typography in Chinese philosophical thought—using the context of contemporary art. In particular, it explores the ways in which choreography and typography may overlap in the assumed infinite realm. By dissection the performance HEY, his practical performance project at the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival, was used as the main project of critical discussion and research. How to stimulate and externalize the subconsciousness of the body, and explore the potential similarities and connections between the nature of body movement and Chinese philosophical thought? This project will develop a speculative conceptual framework for identifying and mapping productive resonances between the phenomenology of the body and the disciplines of graphic design, exploring choreography as a novel practice area within the discipline of graphic design. He is expanding his interest in typography and experimental performance study from a multidisciplinary approach and trying to draw appropriately from multiple different disciplines to redefine the problems outside of the cultural, design, technique, and body boundaries and trying to reach solutions based on a new understanding of arts and body situations that surround us.
Scientific Illustration for Blind and Visually Impaired: Toward a More Sustainable Society and What Design Can Do About It
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Petra Cerne oven, Marija Nabernik
As part of the Visual Literacy Research Programme at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, the 2024 Kaverljag International Summer School (KISS) focused on marine biology with a unique aim: visualizing marine organisms for the visually impaired. Illustrated materials in marine biology for this group are rare, so this project seeks to expand accessible resources. Prior to the summer school, an interdisciplinary student group (biology, visual communication, and illustration) conducted preliminary research. During the eight-day KISS (21–28 July 2024), 24 participants from five countries engaged in field sketching, scientific illustration, and creating 3D models, alongside writing recommendations for tactile illustrations. These were iterated in many different graphic techniques and later adapted for 3D printing. Lectures from scientists, artists, and tiflopedagogues, as well as excursions to institutions like the Aquarium of the Science Centre of the University of Primorska, and Marine Biological Station of the National Institute of Biology provided theoretical foundations. The results were exhibited at various locations for testing by blind and visually impaired participants, with support from institutions like the Slovenian Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired. The project aims to make tactile illustrations more widely available through 3D print kits for educators and tiflopedagogues, empowering design students in social design. Additionally, recommendations for scientific illustrations tailored to the visually impaired are further developed and published.
Navigating Visual Integrity: Addressing Plagiarism, AI Ethics, and Design Education Challenges
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lisa Winstanley, Cheryl Chong
Visual plagiarism is a persistent challenge in art and design, where the boundaries between inspiration, referencing, and copying are often ambiguous. Over the past seven years, my research has laid the groundwork for addressing this issue. Cut and Paste, a study investigating perceptions of undergraduate art and design students, resulted in the development of a conceptual framework for addressing Visual Plagiarism. Project Echo introduced a modular toolkit aimed at pre-tertiary educators, while the KATS framework—focusing on differing levels of Knowledge, incorrect Assumptions, lack of Time, and lack of Support—highlighted key barriers to addressing visual plagiarism for art and design faculty. The emergence of AI tools for image generation adds a further level of complexity to this discourse, raising new moral and ethical concerns regarding visual integrity and image ownership. Building on my previous research, my latest project explores these challenges from a multi-stakeholder perspective, engaging international art and design faculty and industry professionals through participatory design workshops and in-depth interviews to co-create resources and establish best practices. This paper first outlines the key findings and impact of my earlier research before introducing the objectives and research trajectory of my latest initiative. Through the recently established Design Ethics and Visual Integrity Lab (DEVIL), this work seeks to foster a deeper understanding of visual integrity while equipping educators and professionals with the tools to navigate the evolving ethical challenges of image production and consumption in contemporary design education and creative practice.
