EKSIG CONFERENCE 2009

19 June 2009:
EKSIG 2009: EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, METHOD AND
METHODOLOGY

International Conference 2009 of the DRS Special
Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge

The EKSIG International Conference 2009 will address the theme
of "Experiential Knowledge, Method and Methodology". It will be
convened by the DRS Special Interest Group on Experiential
Knowledge (EKSIG), and hosted by London Metropolitan University.

Organisers: Linden Reilly, Chris Smith, Kristina Niedderer,
Seymour Roworth-Stokes
Venue: London Metropolitan University, London, UK
Conference home page: http://www.experientialknowledge.org
Contact: info@experientialknowledge.org


FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

For EKSIG 2009, we invite submissions for the theme
"Experiential Knowledge, Method and Methodology". With this
theme we aim to provide a forum for debate about methodology and
methods for the inclusion and communication of knowledge in
research and practice in the creative disciplines.

The need to be more explicit about research methods, frameworks,
and methodologies has arisen from the increasing use of creative
and professional practices as part of the practice of research
in recent years. While research guidelines and regulations have
been either generic enough, or were adjusted, to accommodate the
use of some creative and professional practices under certain
conditions, the debate about the nature, aims, validity,
evaluation, and necessity of such research has continued.

While all research has a method, and disciplines are
characteristically driven by debates about the best methods for
achieving their aims, that which constitutes a research method
in design and related disciplines is still a matter of debate.
The debates about research methods in design in many ways echo
questions addressed in the design methods movement of the 1960s
and 1970s, such as: 'What are design methods?' Now framed in
terms of design research, questions address the conditions under
which design methods might be used as research methods as well
as the nature of discipline specific methodologies.

The developing understanding in this debate is that the
inclusion of practice in the research process or as a research
outcome helps to integrate and/or communicate those kinds or
parts of knowledge that cannot easily be made explicit, such as
the tacit part of experiential and procedural knowledge,
commonly known as tacit knowledge. With this conference, we wish
to explore the different ways in which tacit knowledge can be
integrated and communicated within the framework of research.


Questions of interest are, for example:

- What are design methods and what are design research methods?

- How is knowledge/knowing created within the process of
research?

- What frameworks are there to guide discipline specific
methodologies?

- How can we integrate and utilize tacit knowledge in the
process of research?

- Why is the use of tacit knowledge important in research?

- What contribution can the use of practice make to the
inclusion of tacit knowledge in research?

- What contribution can the use of design practice make to the
development of design research?

- What methods are there for the communication of tacit
knowledge within research?

- Can we talk about the communication of tacit knowledge, or
should we talk about a transfer?

- What means and methods do we have to transfer tacit knowledge?

We wish to bring together people from different fields and
disciplines with different approaches to address these issues.
We invite contributions from the design disciplines (design,
engineering, craft, media etc), philosophy, education, health
and knowledge management that are concerned with methods and
methodology in research and in creative and professional
practice; with the nature, role, and management of knowledge
within research; and with the role and use of creative practice
(both as process and outcome) as a means by which to develop and
manage experiential/tacit knowledge within research.


SUBMISSIONS

For EKSIG 2009, we invite position papers, which offer
challenging new views on the subject. Position papers will be
selected subject to a double blind review process by an
international review team. In the first instance we ask for the
submission of abstracts. Authors of selected abstracts will be
asked to submit full papers.

We invite the submission of abstracts of 700-800 words
(excluding references) for position papers by 1st December 2008.
Abstracts should be sent as plain text in the body of the email
from the lead researcher's email address. Please send your
abstract via e-mail to info@experientialknowledge.org.uk

Authors of selected abstracts will subsequently be invited to
submit full papers (4000-5000w) in early 2009.

For further information, please visit:

http://www.experientialknowledge.org