Design HOPES exhibition opens at V&A Dundee
An exhibition exploring the link between the health of people and the health of our planet opens at V&A Dundee.
The free exhibition, Designing for the Green Transition, showcases new methods and projects which are underway through Design HOPES – an initiative striving to create a more sustainable health and social care ecosystem across Scotland.
Exploring the idea that the climate emergency is a health emergency, Design HOPES are creating, prototyping and testing the tools, behaviours and systems needed to meet, and move beyond, urgent Net Zero goals.
As part of the exhibition, a diverse range of Design HOPES projects are highlighted, bringing together work led by experts at five Scottish universities – University of Strathclyde Glasgow, University of Dundee, Heriot Watt University, Abertay University, The University of Edinburgh, NHS Scotland, the third sector, and design organisations.
Working with NHS Scotland, as part of the AHRC and Design Museum Future Observatory programme, Design HOPES is using design-led research to identify barriers and opportunities for change within the healthcare system to reduce its national carbon output. This includes creating new products and services, prototyping and testing tools, and behaviours and systems needed to meet, and move beyond, urgent Net Zero goals.
The reduction of plastic waste in healthcare settings including single use PPE, increasing energy efficiency and designing sustainable practices are all being considered.
A Green Ward Toolkit has been designed to equip NHS staff with essential knowledge, tools, and resources for implementing new sustainable practices.
And a service design project, called Flow, has been created to improve patients’ journeys through healthcare practices, reducing hospital visits and the duration of hospital stays, and lowering travel needs, leading to clear environmental impact.
Through many different displays including video, imagery and designed products, the exhibition presents the voices of NHS staff, stories of HOPE from researchers, examples of research in action, and design projects.
Professor Mel Woods, Chair of Creative Intelligence at the University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and co-director of Design HOPES said, “This work-in-progress exhibition brings together work going on across the project to create a more sustainable NHS – work which is still in the design process. This enables us to gather feedback. Some of the exhibits are collecting data which expands our research exploration and allows us to conduct work in an open way, in collaboration with our partners.”
Professor Paul Rodgers, Professor of Design at Strathclyde and co-director of Design HOPES, said: “Design HOPES is one of only four green transition ecosystem hubs in the UK. In this exhibition you will see what our amazing team of design-led researchers and collaborating partners from NHS Scotland and other organisations have been working on together for the past 12 months. The range of projects on show demonstrates clearly the hard work and creative talent that we can call upon across Scotland and the social, economic, cultural, and environmental potential of this work in future years.”
Caroline Grewar, Director of Programme at V&A Dundee, said: “Design is a critical tool in addressing the climate crisis. It’s a real honour for us to showcase at V&A Dundee the ongoing research from the Design HOPES project, to give visitors the opportunity to understand how designers and the NHS are working together to reduce the environmental impact of our health service.”
Designing for the Green Transition is open until 17 February in the Design Residency Studio at V&A Dundee, before going on tour at various locations across the country including public healthcare settings such as Ninewells Hospital, in Dundee. www.vam.ac.uk/dundee
