Thursday 18 July, 2013
6:30 for a 7:00 pm start
De Santis
11-13 Old Street (near junction with Goswell Road)
London EC1V 9HL
Introduction
We are convening these discussions as, having reached the limits of austerity, the debate about the economy is moving towards innovation and growth. The importance of manufacturing and the creation of real value is being recognised, as well as its role in facilitating progress and improving quality of life. New possibilities are presented by new materials, new processes, information technology, and the merging of services and products. The value of design and creativity is being recognised in all these areas.
This discussion following our Workgroup on 3D printing: neither gimmick nor revolution, and will inform a one-day event we are programming and producing for the London Design Festival on design, manufacturing and the economy, which will take place on 18 September at the V&A, and to which you will be invited.
There is no cost to take part in this discussion, but we do expect participants to do some preparation, and to actively engage in the discussion. Readings can be found on the Manufacturing Workgroup page. If you would like to take part please book via Eventbrite (where you can also add the event to your calendar and find a map locating the venue).
On the evening a short introduction on the subject will also be given, and this will be followed by a general discussion around the questions and themes noted (below).
Questions and themes to consider for the discussion
- How and where can design better serve manufacturing? And how and where can manufacturing better serve design?
- Can London and the UK again be centres of manufacturing and innovation? And/or might they flourish as a creative hub for global manufacturing?
- And how might we better link R&D with design and manufacturing?
Initial Readings
Books
- Made in Britain by Evan Davis
- The New Industrial Revolution: Consumers, Globalization and the End of Mass Production by Peter Marsh
- Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson
- National Research Council. Making Value: Integrating Manufacturing, Design, and Innovation to Thrive in the Changing Global Economy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2012
Articles
- Special issue: 3D Printing, Icon, April 2013
- ‘How to Make Almost Anything: The Digital Fabrication Revolution‘ Neil Gershenfeld, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2012
- ‘In the Next Industrial Revolution, Atoms Are the New Bits‘ Chris Anderson, Wired, January 25, 2010
- ‘Production processes: A lightbulb moment‘ Peter Marsh, Financial Times, December 28, 2011
- Technology: ‘Print me a Stradivarius‘ The Economist, Feb 10th 2011
- 3D printing: ‘The printed world‘ The Economist, Feb 10th 2011
- ‘Not made in England: The lost art of manufacturing‘ Stephen Bayley, The Independent, 4 May 2011
- ‘High-tech Britain? We could do much better‘ James Dyson, The Times, October 11 2010
- ‘Does America Really Need Manufacturing?‘ Gary P. Pisano and Willy C. Shih, Harvard Business Review, March 2012
- ‘Is 3D printing the key to Utopia?‘ John Naughton, Observer, 13 May 2012
- Video: Battle of Ideas 2012: Manufacturing: the great comeback? [WORLDbytes]
- Slideshow: Ten Products Printed in 3D: Designing in 3D, BusinessWeek, January 10, 2012
Further readings can be found in the shared bookmarks @thebigpotatoes #design #manufacturing