Student Design Awards winners: Collective imagination

Brief 5: How might we build the capacity and capability of local communities to collectively imagine the future they desire? 

Winners:

Commended entries

Winner: Roma Futurism Museum

A digital interactive space that promotes an intersectional collective vision of the future of Romani people. 

Roma Futurism Museum is a digital exhibition space which provides and promotes a vision about the future of Romani people. It is done in collaboration with the Giuvlipen Feminist Theatre and the surrounding community, combining virtual reality, live theatre and experimental installations. Visitors will be able to learn about the community and the emerging anti-racist movement while platforming activists and artists. This project aims to offer alternative spaces where Romani people can represent themselves, preserve their culture, speculate and take control of their own future. 

Mara Ungurean

University of the Arts London, England

The RSA Fellows’ award of £2,000

Mara’s website

Winner: Our Community, Our Future

A toolkit designed to help guide the development and delivery of community empowerment activities, allowing residents to shape their surroundings.

In the UK, 42 percent of individuals say they have no influence at all over local decision-making. Psychological Ownership Theory suggests that the more someone feels ownership towards their community, the more they will contribute to the community’s well-being. The Our Community toolkit aims to cultivate this feeling of ownership. It gives facilitators, place-makers, and community champions the tools they need to create initiatives that promote ownership among residents. The toolkit describes the theory, gives examples and case studies and provides activity canvases that help evaluate existing initiatives and design new ones. The toolkit was tested in Ebbsfleet, Kent and has received the pilot award to do further testing!

Rhiannon Beddoe

Imperial College London, England

Pilot Award

Rhiannon’s website

Commended entries

Highly Commended 

Reimagining the redevelopment Lois Blackwell, Manchester Metropolitan University, England

Reimagining the Redevelopment: A multifunctional hub which exhibits workshop outcomes and encourages community members to collectively imagine through an exploration of the senses.

Commended

Hestia HubAsia Cheung and Enya Schaefer, National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland

Hestia Hub: A service providing the knowledge and tools to help guide the Irish student community to collectively imagine their student living cooperative.

Commended

The BLAH BLAH BLAH NetSarah Caulfield, National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland

The BLAH BLAH BLAH Net: A campaign and educational installation reusing abandoned fishing rope to help the local community imagine and build their collective future. 

In partnership: