Speakers

Prof. Stefan Greuter

School of Communication & Creative Arts, Deakin University, Australia

Research Area: Serious Games, Playable User Experience, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality

Brief:

Stefan Greuter is a Professor for Screen and Design in the School of Creative Arts at Deakin University. He addresses problems by bringing together experts from multiple disciplines, using interaction design and technology, to develop solutions that result in serious games and playable user experiences. He has particular interests in game design, design-thinking and technologies that promote immersive playful interactions. His research interests include the design and development of applications that engage users in stimulating, seamless, playful and creative experiences, alongside applications that enable users through mixed reality learning and interactive environments. Stefan and his team apply human-oriented design techniques and evaluation of technologies, such as field-based studies and lab-based experiments, to create knowledge about the design and use of the interactive experiences and their effect on people.

Title of Keynote Speech: 

Designing virtual user experiences that shape real-world actions

Abstract:

At the border of two worlds, the physical and the virtual world, the design of immersive user experiences provides significant opportunities for real-world problem-solving, innovation and training. Professor Stefan Greuter, is an expert in fusing interactive design, game design and participatory design with emerging technology into applied solutions. In his talk Stefan Greuter will unpack this intricate synergy, drawing on his portfolio of award-winning work with industry partners in diverse fields including partners in the construction, and industrial manufacturing industries as well as theatre and galleries and provide insights into the design process offering new perspectives on the transformative potential of immersive design in re-shaping industries, catalysing innovation, and intensifying user engagement with digital platforms.   

Prof. Yaqin Jin

School of Art and Design, Jilin Jianzhu University, China

Research Area: Visual image design, environmental facility design, fiber art, and comprehensive material creation

Title of Keynote Speech: 

The Development and Application of AR Technology in Cultural and Creative Products

Abstract:

Cultural and creative products, as a product that originates from cultural themes and relies on creative transformation, have high market value. The development of cultural and creative products has distinct characteristics such as high knowledge, high added value, strong integration, low resource consumption, and high market demand potential. AR technology is an emerging technology in recent years. When AR technology enters the field of cultural and creative product design, it will inevitably promote the improvement of cultural communication architecture. This meeting mainly discusses the successful cases and advantages of AR technology application in cultural and creative product design, and explores the enormous development potential of AR technology in future design applications.

A. Prof. Adrian Lee Yuen Beng

School of Arts, Sunway Universit, Malaysia

Research Area: Malaysian cinema, media and creative industries

Brief:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adrian Lee is a self-described full-time academic, part-time filmmaker, leisure-time columnist and lifetime Manchester United Red Devil. A Head of Department and Programme Leader at the School of Arts, Sunway University, he has been actively researching Malaysian cinema, the UN SDGs, media, cultural and gender studies and the creative industries. He authored the book Malaysian Cinema in the New Millennium. Transcendence Beyond Multiculturalism and co-edited the book Media and Elections: Democratic Transition in Malaysia. He has also published over 100 academic journal articles, book chapters, proceedings, and popular media writings. He has published in journals such as the Asian Journal of Communication, Kajian Malaysia and Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences. He has spoken as a presenter, guest lecturer, workshop conveyor, and keynote speaker across different cities and countries, such as Kuala Lumpur, Cambridge, Melbourne, Osaka, Jakarta, South Korea and Singapore. His collection of short documentaries titled Reel Heritage Series has been part of official selections at various festivals in Malaysia and abroad. He is an academic assessor and external examiner at various Malaysian universities and sits on the editorial boards of communication journals in Malaysia. To date, he has graduated diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Title of Keynote Speech: 

Makan and The Art of Eating in Malaysian Cinema

Abstract:

Malaysia is globally recognised as a gastronomic paradise. With this impression that Malaysia has an abundant food supply, no hunger exists. This is because Malaysians are presumed to be spoilt for choice regarding eating. The most straightforward motivation for eating is, of course, to satisfy hunger. However, this act of eating is metaphorically employed in Malaysian cinema by a group of Malaysian filmmakers to display their sense of hunger that food cannot satisfy. Instead, this sense of hunger is expressed in their films through their cinematic characters, who are often eating. This hunger felt by these characters and the act of eating to satisfy their hunger is, in essence, a symbolic challenge to the hegemony of Malaysian cinema. This paper firstly examines the filmic narratives and how representations of Malaysian characters go beyond their cinematic representation and directly challenge and criticise the political economy of Malaysian mainstream cinema. These acts of eating satisfy a desire to belong and to be recognised as Malaysians. Second, this paper examines how this hunger represents the need for equality and how eating provides comfort as food is easily accessible to all Malaysians regardless of background.

Keywords: National identity, Malaysian cinema, eating, Malaysian Chinese filmmakers, unity.

A. Prof. Aidan Rowe

Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta, Canada

Research Area: Critical Design, Design Futures, Health Design, Human, Design Education, Participatory Design, Curatorial Practice

Brief:

Professor Rowe has over 20 years of experience in interdisciplinary, community-based and co-design research projects in design and related fields. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta, University of Westminster and Goldsmiths College, University of London. As the Chair of the Department of Art & Design Dean in the Faculty of Arts he has worked to integrate design pedagogic practices throughout the curriculum to enrich learning opportunities for students. As an Associate Professor in Design Studies his research, curatorial and practice interests are in design, health and education.

Title of Keynote Speech: 

Shifting Design Education: from Outputs to Outcomes

Abstract:

Historically design practice—and by extension design education—has focused upon the creation of discrete outputs (forms, artifacts and objects) that fulfill a specific need and purpose. Traditionally these needs—and often the designed outputs themselves—have been dictated not by the designer but by external clients and customers. Design was, as such, broadly framed as a commercial service industry, a client needed something (a poster, a chair, a house) and the designer provided the requested output.

Design education practices grew out of a master-apprentice approach where the apprentice / student would learn at the hand of the master / instructor, often recreating ideal outputs in a repetitive fashion. This didactic and skills-acquisition based approach was sufficient when design positioned itself as a technical craft that focused upon discrete fields (e.g., graphic, industrial or fashion design), specific outputs and set and understood challenges.

As the field of design has continued to expand—in scope of practice, complexity of challenges addressed and range of collabor