Photo by Rihards Funts, MAD SummerschoolDr. Karina Vissonova, Founder of A.DE.S
As the founder of the institute for Advanced Design Studies, Karina Vissonova directs research within futures sustainable societies and education. Karina is a researcher, author and educator in design philosophy focused on future wellbeing, future sustainable societies, sustainability and the evolution of design education. In her research and education, Karina works with futures studies and speculative design perspectives. In addition, under the umbrella of her institute’s activities, she curates art exhibitions of art and science. Karina lectures at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapestand she is a research fellow at the MOME foundation. Karina holds membership with the World Futures Studies Federation.
For some 25 years, Karina has worked with game-changing R & D, product and business innovation, education, community development and multidisciplinary design projects, in a capacity of developer, manager, strategist and board member, collaborating with manufacturers, architects, engineers, designers and artists.
Resume
experience/ education:
In 2018 I founded the Advanced Design Studies institute in Budapest, Hungary. The institute works with research projects in futures studies, sustainability, sustainable design and transdisciplinary higher education. Between 2020 and 2021, the institute offered advanced education in design for post-graduates and professionals. From 2022, ADES hosted its summer programme - Umwelt Art & Science Summer Academy - a platform of experimental collaborations between artists and scientists, and an open air art venue focused on artworks visualising the course of humanity.
Another of my present occupations, alongside my husband, is managing our organic winery, its vineyards and our home restaurant, "PAP wines", created by us in 2014 in North-West Hungary by the lake Balaton. I am a practicing permaculture gardener, growing vegetables and herbs for our plant based home restaurant.
I attained my Ph.D title at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Institute of Product Design (2012-2016). My field of research is Philosophy of Design with the focus on Sustainable Design. In 2014 and in 2015, I was a guest Ph.D candidate at the Delft University of Technology, Ethics/ Philosophy of Technology section.
The Ph.D. project was under the Danish State Industrial Ph.D program, partnering with "Business Centre Bornholm" and "Green Solution House". Hence I also hold an Industrial Ph.D certificate. Under this program, my role was to work with the two partners for a sustainable regional development on the island of Bornholm. During the period, I was on the advisory board to Nutrient Retrieval from Seabeds project, a collaborative project in R&D by Teknikmarknad and Östergötland regional government, Sweden, where I advised on Circular Economy principles (2014-2015). I was also on the advisory board to the Eco Island Global Summit - Bornholm 2013.
During 2012, I worked on a strategic development of a design think tank The Club of Helsinki, together with Design Studio Suppanen, Finland and a strategy agency Imaginary Life, Stockholm. The pilot project launched together with the design faculty at University of Sao Paolo, in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with the focus on a sustainable community development, improving conditions for an urban waste collective.
From 2007 to 2010, I developed and managed several business and product development projects at VELUX Xlab, Denmark’s longest surviving Innovation Lab. I co-managed a product development project with Foster + Partners, UK, and a concept for sustainable urban living VELUX House, a pavillion exhibited at COP-15, Copenhagen. I developed VELUX operations in radical innovation, ran a project portfolio and facilitated ideation workshops for international cross-disciplinary teams.
I graduated Copenhagen Business School in 2007 with MSc majoring in Intercultural Management.
lecturer/ facilitator
Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design 2022-today. Lecturer of the course in Design for Future Sustainable Societies.
MAD Interantional Summer School of Design 2018, 2019, 2021. Latvia. Speaker and a tutor of international design graduate students, leading to an exhibition of designed prototypes.
Creative Week for architect students of Hungary and ARCHIP (Prague) at Széchenyi István University of Gyor (2017/2018). Tutored international architecture and design students in concept development.
Systems thinking in design seminar “Design and Living Systems”. Taught a 1 week workshop on design impacts for MA design students at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design within the framework of Xskool; in collaboration with Sustainability Festival Future Perfect Sweden, John Thackara ‘Doors of Perception’, and Konstfack School of Arts, Stockholm. Aug 2013, Denmark and Sweden.
Sustainable Development “Waste and Design”, co-developer of a PhD student and faculty workshop within Philosophy of Design, University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, Dr. Maria Cecilia Loschiavo Dos Santos USP, Ilkka Suppanen Aalto University, and Tanya Kim Grassley Imaginary Life, Sweden. Aug 2012, Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Urban Design Summer Studio “Redesigning Public Spaces”, Guest Teacher for MA students of Architecture and Civil Engineering Technical University of Nis. Focused on exercise for creative problem solving. Key lecture on Design Research and Philosophy. Jul 2012, Nis, Serbia.
Education project on “Sustainable Urban Development” and “Alternative Energy Solutions”, co-designer and co-facilitator of a two-week seminar in interactive design product development at the ‘Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design’, CIID. Focused on innovation in product development and ethical design solutions. Apr 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark.
symposia/ talks/ workshops
What Transdisciplinary Knowledge Looks Like, organised and hosted symposium on transdisciplinary education, MOME, May 2023.
ABRA project workshops for learners and teachers, organiser and host, Art Quarter Budapest, May 2023.
An unusual portrait of sustainability and the future of material wellbeing. Talk for WFSF Conference “Beyond the Now: Living the Future” ar Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Center for Futuristic Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, December 2022
Design for Material Wellbeing in the transformative age of climate change. Talk for 24th WFSF World Conference “The Openness of Futures”, Berlin, Germany, October 2021 (online). https://wfsfconferenceberlin2021.org/
Future worth dreaming, at UNESCO Futures Literacy High Level Summit, December 2020 (virtual event). Presenter and panelist.
Biomimicry & Connectivity arts and design co-lab, lead organiser, speaker and panel moderator, in collaboration with Art Quarter Budapest, Budapest Design Week Oct 2018, Hungary. The workshop results are published in “Biomimicry Budapest Perspective” (2019).
RIBOCA International Biennial of Contemporary Art, presenter on Sustainability - Critical View. Aug 2018, Riga, Latvia.
Service Design workshop at the Latvian Academy of Arts summer school, Kuldiga, presenter on Sustainability and Design. Jun 2017, Kuldiga, Latvia.
Cumulus Association conference “In a planet of our own” at Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, presenter on Sustainable Design. Dec 2015, Mumbai, India.
Seminar “New Business Models in Changing Economy: focus on Circular Economy”, organiser and keynote speaker. Nov 2015, Bornholm, Denmark.
Regional Innovation conference Ecoislands Global Summit 2013, Bornholm, workshop leader. May 2013, Bornholm, Denmark.
Design Boost Stockholm Design Week, participant and ‘booster’, “Design Beyond Design” 2010, and “Design Intelligence” 2011, Sweden.
Sustainable urban design prototyping for the City of Stockholm “Connecting Stockholm”. Collaborator at a 1 week workshop with the architect studio ‘Urban Nouveau’ and hand-picked international architects, designers, and ideators. The project exhibited at the Stockholm Museum of Architecture. Mar 2011, Sweden.
Innovation methods and rationale behind business diversification strategies, keynote lecturer in Innovation Day at SAS headquarters Stockholm 2010, Sweden.
Sustainable community development - mapping methodologies, collaborator at ‘Clear Village’ foundation workshop as one of the 100 hand-picked international experts. Sep 2009, Barcelona, Spain.
Publications:
From consumer capitalism to wellbeing: Re-imagining design education in view of the pluriverse. Vissonova, K. & Hohl, M. (2023) in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete Nielsen, Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 29 November - 1 December 2023, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2024.018
Soft Robotics Workshops: Supporting Experiential Learning About Design, Movement, and Sustainability. Anca-Simona Horvath A.S., Jochum E., Löchtefeld, M. Vissonova, K. Merrit, T. 2023 In Eds. Dunstan, B.J., Koh, J. T. K. V., Tillman, D.T., Brown, S.A. Social Robots and Their Emergent Cultural Ecologies, Springer
Telling it as it is through art & science. Popular Science blog article in ABRA-hub. February 2023
Green Bumble - undiscussed discussions. Anthology on sustainability. Ed. K. Vissonova. Institute of Advanced Design Studies. October 2021, Hungary.
Green Bumble. Popular Science blog article in ABRA-hub. March 2021
Biomimicry Budapest Perspective. Collection of esseys and multimedial works. Ed. K. Vissonova. Institute of Advanced Design Studies. May 2019, Hungary.
Sustainable Design and Sustainability: where we are today. Teknik & Miljø, May 2017, p. 46-47.
Effects of design and sustainable design of technical artefacts. In P. E. Vermaas & S. Vial (Eds.), Advancements in Philosophy of Design. Design Research Foundations, Springer. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319733012. The Netherlands. (2018).
Forsker: Er vindmøller overhovedet bæredygtige? Article for Debate at altinget.dk, Danish politics portal. http://www.altinget.dk. Denmark. (2016).
What is sustainable about sustainable design? Article in CSR-Link newsletter, Danish Not for Profit Organisation, Denmark. (2016).
Explicating the Sustainable Design of Technical Artefacts, Ph.D Thesis. The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation Printing Workshop. Denmark. (2016).
Insidious side effects of design and how to turn them into values of sustainability in design. Conference Paper, Cumulus Mumbai 2015: In a planet of our own - a vision of sustainability with focus on water. http://www.inaplanetofourown.net. India. (2015).
Related:
Article about the PhD research in Danish popular science online magazine Videnskab.dk
Article about the PhD research in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Article about the PhD research in Danish online health and lifestyle magazine Naturli.dk