Leeds to host design activism festival

The Leeds Festival of Design Activism, which will focus on how design can affect environmental and social issues, will be held in July.

The festival is being organised by the Leeds School of Architecture, Landscape and Design at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Guy Julier, professor of design at LMU, says, ‘So much design that is publicised today is about commercial gain. This festival is an opportunity to represent and debate the many ways that designers can contribute to tackling climate change and social injustice.’

The festival, which will run from 2-4 July, will host the Engage exhibition, which Julier describes as ‘an alternative to New Designers’, and practitioner conference featuring Alastair Fuad-Luke, author of The Eco-Design Handbook, and Sarah Butler of literature consultancy Urban Words