Research projects and publications

This paper discusses the value of design rights using the example of UK's most high-profile case of design right litigation: Trunki, a ride-on travel case for children. Rob Law MBE invented Trunki in 1996. He registered it as a design in 2002 in the UK, and in 2003 with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), now EUIPO. The design has since been emulated by competitors in countries across the globe. Law's company Magmatic Ltd successfully challenged most imitators, until one succeeded in defending their rights on a product that was ‘inspired by Trunki’: PMS International and their so-called Kiddee case in 2012. This paper discusses lessons that can be learned from the case. Magmatic Ltd successfully defended their unregistered design right, but not their registered design right - Why? How do different forms of IP compare? How does a lengthy court process affect the running of a small design firm? How can IP legislation be enhanced to foster innovation more effectively?

Citation:
Hillner, Matthias. "Managing Design IP in the UK - Does the End Justify the Means?" Conference proceedings of the Design Management Academy, vol. X, 2017, pp. 539-562, doi:10.21606/dma.2017.45.

Ideas and themes central to both cybernetics and existentialist philosophy converge in the work of some of the world's most celebrated contemporary artists. Utilizing little or no technology, these artists nonetheless employ "systems" approaches and proto-cybernetic models, while simultaneously exploring themes directly related to existentialism. The article focuses on artworks that explore death and our anticipation of it-what Jean-Paul Sartre terms "Being-towards-death", which existentialist philosophers consider in terms of a revelatory memento mori to emphasize our need to act decisively, meaningfully, and authentically, and to assert individual freedom. It is argued that both cybernetic paradigms and existentialist ideas are central to groundbreaking artworks by Marina Abramović, Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn, Michael Landy, Douglas Gordon, Urich Lau, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu.

Citation:
Dixon, Steve. "Cybernetic-Existentialism and Being-Towards-Death in Contemporary Art and Performance." TDR: The Drama Review, vol. 61, no. 3, 2017, pp. 36-55.

Western contemporary dance has long benefited from mental imagery practice for enhancing choreography, somatic embodiment and performance. Although science supports many psychophysical benefits of mental imagery practice, less is known about its effects on dance creation. Here, two dance educators report the results of a pilot study using two contrasting imagery modes in teaching improvisation. Four conservatory dance students engaged in two weeks of improvisation. In week one, Glenna used tactile-kinaesthetic imagery as verbal prompts. During week two, Susan emphasized visual prompts. Each mode gave rise to unique movement patterns and reflections on embodiment, bearing on future research questions. The authors aim to situate the study within the conversation on imagery specificity in teaching improvisation. In addition, the study supports the ongoing evolution of an articulate scientific-somatic discourse on tactile-kinaesthetic and visual phenomena within dance. 

Citation:
Batson, Glenna and Susan Sentler. "How Visual and Kinaesthetic Imagery Shape Movement Improvisation: A Pilot Study." Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017, pp. 195-212.

Abstract:
A 5000-word excerpt of a novel-in-progress devoted to global climate change and its concentration in Canada's contentious Alberta tar sands.

Citation:
Whetter, Darryl. "Scraping Off the Velvet." The Fiddlehead, no. 270, 2017, pp. 72-82.