Public Lecture: Design History in Transcultural Context

Design History in Transcultural Context
Design history research used to focus mainly on the West, but in recent years, research on Asian design history has been gaining momentum. This lecture will discuss three issues involved in the history of design as cultural research.

1. How is 'design' described before the term 'design' was used?
2. Is design considered 'modern' in the West 'modern' in non-Western contexts?
3. How can national identities be discussed in design?

Based on the above questions, this lecture will propose a future-oriented study of design history.

Keisuke Takayasu (visiting scholar)
Keisuke Takayasu is a professor of aesthetics at the Graduate School of Letters at Osaka University, where he teaches courses in art and design. Takayasu has worked mainly with the history of modern design, the aesthetics of craft and industrial products, and the theory of visual communication. His recent interests cover the ethics of social design, the aesthetics of critical design, and the practice of food design. Takayasu teaches Bachelor-, Master-, and PhD-level students and has published several articles on the aforementioned topics.