ArtEZ shares design vision on sustainable transformation during international project in Belgrade

At the invitation of the organisers, Perica Savanović, Professor of Design at ArtEZ University of the Arts, gave a keynote lecture in which he shared insights from NewTexEco, the research community coordinated by ArtEZ. The theme closely aligned with NewTexEco’s ambitions and with the design and practice-oriented research that ArtEZ helps shape within this network. The event brought together researchers, artists and knowledge institutions from different countries to explore how textile repair can create new connections between people, communities and generations.

Design as a driver for social change

In his lecture, Savanović presented a design-led vision of sustainable change. He argued that social issues cannot be solved through fixed routes from problem to solution. Instead, they require open processes in which different perspectives come together.

According to Savanović, design research and artistic research can play an important role in these processes. They create space for experimentation, imagination and new forms of collaboration between different parties. In doing so, they contribute not only to innovation, but also to collectively shaping possible futures.

Essay on sustainable transformation

For the project, Savanović wrote the essay New Textile Ecosystems – Integral Design for Sustainable Transformations. In it, he explores how design, research, technology and entrepreneurship can contribute to the development of a more sustainable textile system. The essay builds on research within NewTexEco, the national research community coordinated by ArtEZ. Drawing on various research projects, Savanović shows how design research can act as a catalyst for social change. Not by formulating a single optimal solution, but by bringing different disciplines, forms of knowledge and interests into conversation with one another.

This approach reflects the way ArtEZ positions research: as a practice-oriented and creative form of knowledge development that connects artists, designers, researchers and social partners.

International exchange

In addition to the lecture, the visit to Belgrade offered an opportunity to explore new international collaborations. The region of the former Yugoslavia has a rich textile history and is currently exploring how heritage, design and sustainability can contribute to new economic and social perspectives. Conversations with researchers, artists and cultural organisations showed a strong interest in further knowledge exchange and joint European research projects.

Research as a connecting practice

Over the course of six months, Repair the Fabric: Healing Voices and Patterns Across Generations explored how mending and repair can function as a metaphor for social connection and collective change. For ArtEZ, this collaboration underlines the value of design research and artistic research as a connecting practice: a way to not only analyse complex social issues, but also to explore, shape and transform them together.