Please learn more about Jamely and Joao and follow our social media channels for their contributions and impressions. You will find our accounts in the header.

Jamely Esmeralda
UArtes, Ecuador
jamely.esmeralda@uartes.edu.ec

Literature student at the University of Arts of Guayaquil. She has been published at Ruta Colectiva maganize. Mention of honor at LibreLibro Literary Contest, category: narrative (2018). She has colaborated with local NGO´s for the development of political, cultural and artistic projects for women and LGBTQ community. She gives virtual workshops of decolonial studies and class, gender and race critical theory (2020-nowadays). She translates texts and gives translation workshops for the AWTC (Academic Writing and Translation Center) in colaboration with the International Relationships Department at the University of Arts. She will represent the University of Arts as Ambassador for the Cumulus Guayaquil 2021 Conference.

Joao Jiménez
UArtes, Ecuador
joao.jimenez@uartes.edu.ec

Music production student with experience in audio editing and mixing for new media. Passionate about the artistic sector that is born from innovation and technological vanguards. With a view to generating innovative musical and sound projects, he has entered the world of programming. In addition, he has participated in cultural projects to vindicate independent art in cities like Loja, Saraguro, Otavalo and Guayaquil. He will represent the University of Arts as Ambassador for the Cumulus Guayaquil 2021 Conference.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

Please learn more about our new great ambassadors from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy: Camilla and Dimitri who are based in Rome will follow the Cumulus conference Roma 2021: Design Culture(s), June 8-11, 2021 Rome, Italy hosted by Sapienza University of Rome.

Camilla Gironi
camillagironi3@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/camilla-gironi

Camilla Gironi is a second-year student majoring in Interaction Design and minoring in Human-Computer Interaction at the Master of Science in Product and Service Design, where she has been selected to participate in the Advanced Course, at Sapienza University of Rome. She has an academic background in Project Management, with working experience in Graphic Design, Enterprise Communication and Digital Marketing.

Camilla has also taken part in interdisciplinary teams in different extra-curricular activities, including international architecture and design competitions and national hackathons with award-winning projects. She has served as a UX Design advisor for the IoT course in Computer Engineering at Sapienza University and is actively volunteering as a designer in Poliferie, a national no-profit organization aiming at cultivating and supporting neglected potential of young people living in suburban areas.

Dimitri Russo
russodimitri@hotmail.it
linkedin.com/in/dimitri-russo

Dimitri Russo is a second and final year student of the Master’s Degree in Product and Service Design at the University of Rome ”La Sapienza” and is majoring in People-centred design. After a three-year degree in Architectural Sciences, he continues to deepen various topics including 3d modeling, product design and interior design and dedicates himself to several personal projects and various collaborations in the field of architectural design, product design and graphic design. He works as a tutor for exams and theses of the Faculty of Architecture and participates in various competitions.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

Please learn more about our new great ambassadors from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia: Felipe, Juliana and Valeria joining the virtual Cumulus conference Roma 2021 The Design Culture(s), June 8-11, 2021 Rome, Italy hosted by Sapienza University of Rome.

Felipe Borbón Vásquez
f.borbon@uniandes.edu.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipeborbon/

Felipe is a flexible and passionate strategic designer. He’s studying the Design program with a communication emphasis at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. He has gained experience in strategic and critical design, concept ideation and human centered design for innovation. He feels comfortable leading multidisciplinary teams where he can mix new ways of creation to achieve real impact. In addition, he has been a tutor and was elected as student representative in the Design Department.
Felipe is interested in gender and queer studies, the different faces of innovation, creative industries and all the management and design processes that compose them. As a gay designer he will always include a critical approach to make visible the ignored, empowering diverse identities and fighting for equity and respect.

Juliana Edith Rojas
je.rojasr@uniandes.edu.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliana-edith-rojas-reyes-02a329182/

Juliana is a design student at the Universidad de los Andes, with minors in Management, Visual Computing and French Language and Culture. She participated as Creative Director in the Student Council, and as a monitor for classes such as Design for Democracy and Politics as a Product.
When Juliana was a child she wanted to be an engineer, an artist and president. She finally decided to be a designer because it allowed her to be a little bit of all three. She is currently working in a legal consulting firm, engaged in legal design to close the gap between law and its users. She was an intern at the Organization of American States (OAS) in the Strategic Counsel of the General Secretariat, where she supported the communication process of the strategic plan. She was also part of the Design Spotters team for the Index Award, making nominations for the award, which celebrates those who use design to improve life.

Valeria Rozo Moreno
E-mail: v.rozo@uniandes.edu.co
Behance: https://www.behance.net/valeriarozo
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/valeriarozo

I’m an Architecture student with studies in anthropology at the University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia. I’m very enthusiastic about Botanics, ceramics, embroidery, and critical mapping. Recently I’ve been involved in different student-empowerment initiatives emerging as new ways of pedagogical practices through the recognition of active student movements and coalition as ways of sparking conversations around politics of the discipline and practice through design. I’m also co-founder and 1/3 of the feminist architecture collective Las Arquitercas, we engage in intersectional and interdisciplinary conversations grounded within our close student communities, towards a more contextualized decolonial-thinking education in our Latin-American background. I’m looking forward to imagining other possible worlds hand in hand with the conference at Design Culture(s) Roma 2021.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

Please learn more about our new great ambassadors from the University of Lapland, Finland: Matilda Kalving and Lauri Hakala joining the Cumulus conference in Bogota.

Matilda Kalving
matilda.kalving@gmail.com

Matilda Kalving is studying to become a Bachelor of Arts, at University of Lapland. She is majoring in Industrial Design and minoring in Creative technologies. She is working as a research assistant in the UX-design team at the Faculty of Art & Design, University of Lapland. Matilda is active member in her student association, and has served 2 years as the student advocate and responsible for international affairs at the Art & Design students association. She has also been selected as student representative in the Faculty of Art and Design Council. In addition, she has been a tutor, student ambassador and volunteered at events at the University of Lapland. She often participates in extra-curricular projects and competitions.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matilda-kalving

Lauri Hakala
Lauri.Hakala@ulapland.fi

Lauri Hakala is a student in University of Lapland (2017 – ) majoring in Industrial design & minoring in creative technologies. He works as a research assistant in University of Lapland DecoChrom project. In the project, he works in the field of interaction design, technology & prototyping. Lauri has a background in sales & is a board member & responsible of finance in University of Lapland art student union TAO ry. In addition, he has been a tutor & a volunteer in many events. Lauri is familiar with multiple 3D-modeling programs such as Rhinoceros & SolidWorks as well as with various Adobe programs. His main interests & skills are however in programming, ice- & furniture design. Lauri has co-authored two conference papers. With one, the team received the Best Demo award at the Eighth ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays (PerDis).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurihakala/

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

Learn more about Danni and Jessy.

Welcome to read their reports.
Check also the Cumulus Student Ambassadors FB for great videos and footage https://www.facebook.com/Cumulus-Ambassadors-527204344105153/

Reports by Danni Deng
529457751@qq.com/ dannideng101@outlook.com

Cumulus in Wuxi (Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities by the Jiangnan University, China)

For me, it is a matter of pride for my school to be able to hold an international conference, and I am even more proud to be involved as a volunteer. In the conference we welcomed scholars and researchers from all over the world. They speak for design in a new cultural environment, let people to understand the global dynamics of design, see different design practices, and hear different voices.

Holding a large international conference is a big challenge for us. Fortunately, I can say we did a good job. As joined the big party, I understand how much work that working group have done for this program. My main work in cumulus is helping teachers to collect papers, and finish conference registrant. One of the benefits of these early work is that I can understand the main content of the conference, and also join it as a participator.

I have been at Jiangnan University for a long time, but Cumulus has brought me a brand new experience. It has high-quality keynote speeches, wonderful paper presentations, different design workshops and local cultural explorations. I participated as much as possible. At the same time I discussed with people from all over the world who are passionate about design. Compared with previous learning experiences, the content of Cumulus is more profound, and the content of the discussion has a broader perspective. The theme of the conference is “Diffused Transition and Design Opportunities”. China is experiencing a rapidly development. Here, we have both opportunities and challenges. Nowadays, many problems require us to think deeper. what else We can do outside of the existing educational framework.? What is the innovation we really need in the future? How do we become a socially responsible designer? In cumulus, the best part is that you are not only a listener, but also a reflector.

I am grateful to have this experience in my student life. Thanks to Cumulus for calling the world’s most outstanding designers together, bring new thinking to them and promoting the development of Chinese design.

Cumulus in Rovaniemi (Around the Campfire: Resilience and Intelligence by the University of Lapland, Finland)

This summer, I am very honored to be a student ambassador to visit a country I yearn for – Finland to attend the three-day Cumulus international conference. First of all, I would like to thank the Cumulus conference for the financial support provided to student volunteers, so that I can have such a valuable opportunity to experience the different culture and to communicate with experts and scholars. Our entire itinerary is from Pudong International Airport to Finland’s capital Helsinki, then from Helsinki to Lahti University of Applied Sciences to participate in the pre-conference of cumulus, then to our final destination, Rovaniemi, for a three-day International conference.

At Lahti, we visited the campus, under the leadership of a teacher at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. The campus is full of open spaces for students to discuss. The campus is equipped with a wide variety of laboratories and workshops. In this environment, students have a lot of hands-on opportunities to think about what innovation is from the very beginning of design. Seeing so many different facilities, I am thinking about a problem: more choices also mean higher learning costs, so what are the experiences of Finnish educators in the breadth and depth of balanced learning? Or how?

After leaving Lahti, we went to Rovaniemi. This is a city in the Arctic Circle, with a cultural atmosphere which is completely different from my original living environment. Here we were welcomed by the staff of the Cumulus conference team at Lapland university. Thank you Essi, and student ambassador Matilda and Lauri from Lapland! The three-day conference was very compact. In particular, keynote speeches left a deep impression on me. The content and style of the speech were full of highlights and I gained a lot. In addition to the activities in the school, under the arrangement of Lapland University, I went to the Santa Claus Village and the Polar Museum, which is also a wonderful memory of my trip.

I personally came to the Nordic to correct some of my prejudice against it. One of the most important points is that the Nordic food is much better than I expected！ The Finns are more enthusiastic than I expected! Although I didn’t have the chance to spend long time here, I feel that I already start to enjoy the lifestyle. Because it’s summer time so we can see sunlight for whole day which is incredible. When I wake up every morning, I can see the birds docked at the window. Occasionally, there will be a cute gray rabbit appearing on the lawn at the door, like a friendly messenger from the forest nearby, to invite you to explore more.
On the plane from Finland to Shanghai, I have already begun to miss the days in Finland, remember the quiet here, miss sustainable lifestyle, miss Sauna, and miss the precious memories I had. Thanks to Cumulus for giving me this precious opportunity. Thanks for everything I have encountered in Finland.

Reports by ZHOU SIQI
1009723096@qq.com

Cumulus in Wuxi (Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities by the Jiangnan University, China)

The Cumulus 2018 conference was held in Wuxi, China. The theme of this Cumulus conference was “Diffused Transition and Design Opportunities”, focusing on the new challenges, new spaces and new opportunities emerging from the economic and social transformation, breaking through the inherent cognition and facing the transformation. All kinds of problems, explore the design state and design trend in the transition era, and publish the design of common challenges in the context of globalization 3.0.

Founded in 1990, the Cumulus brings together the world’s best-known design schools. The Cumulus is the only international organization of art, design and media institutions in the world that is officially recognized by UNESCO. The conference was held at Jiangnan University from October 31st to November 3rd. More than 30 internationally renowned speakers and nearly 400 delegates from more than ten countries and regions participated this conference. The conference passed keynote speeches, design conversations, working groups, workshops and design special exhibitions, etc., jointly discuss the status quo and direction of design disciplines in the context of social development, publish local responses to common challenges in a global context, and share emerging design practices, design studies and design education, as well as reflection on the new attributes, new roles and new culture of design.

As a volunteer of the reception team, I participated in the whole process from preparation for the conference to the end of the meeting for 4 days, more than 30 venues, 40 lectures, 50 hours of volunteer activities, and completed the transformation from participation experience to growth and harvest. Our reception team’s transition from mutual integration to excellent completion has won the recognition of the guests and participators.

The volunteer work of the conference demonstrated the internationalization and vitality of the students of the design school. The processing of various complex problems and the assignment of tasks in the process also helped us improve our design ability, cultivate a sense of responsibility and use the experience in practice. This is also an opportunity, which not only helps to increase knowledge, but also enhances comprehensive ability. It is a precious life experience for me. Also it is the foundation of design creation and the source of social responsibility.

This Cumulus conference is the stage for international art design and media college thinkers, providing a new vision and inspiration for the development of global art design disciplines and talent cultivation. In 2018, it was also the 60th anniversary of Jiangnan University. Taking this conference as an opportunity, it further promoted the international development of the design discipline of Jiangnan University.

Cumulus in Rovaniemi (Around the Campfire: Resilience and Intelligence by the University of Lapland, Finland)

It was a magical journey for me to attend the 2019 Cumulus conference in Finland. It was a great honor have been chosen as a Cumulus Ambassador and also it was a challenge for me, across the 5 hour time difference and enjoy the summer of Rovaniemi without the passion of night.

The Cumulus Rovaniemi Conference took place from MAY 29th until MAY 31st 2019. This is my first time to Europe, after ten hours of flight, from Shanghai to Helsinki, to Lahti, then to Rovaniemi. The design of Finland is ubiquitous. The Finnair luggage name tag is Mummin and the provided paper towel pattern is Marimekko, and all kinds of simple and interesting signs on the road. Reflected from all the details, Finland likes a perfectly designed place.

Rovaniemi is a very quiet city, but Cumulus enthusiastically voiced in these three days.

On the first day, the weather was cold but the venue was very warm and lively. The opening ceremony started at 9:00 in the morning and it was a great honor for us to be invited to the stage and say hello to all Cumulus friends. And our nameplate is a laser-cut wood round cake, very cute.
The first Keynote speech by Liisa Holmberg, wearing a distinctive national costume, caught my eye at once. She shared her traditions about the Sami and her films about Sami. I began to think about Finland’s efforts and work on cultural heritage.

In the paper sassion link, the content of cultural innovation is mentioned. I am particularly interested in sharing from the London School of Art, their team researches fish skin materials in fashion design. China has a nation called Hezhe, once had this custom, but there are not many people studying with limited research data. Cumulus is a communication platform and window, you can find like-minded people here.The opening of the museum in the afternoon set off the climax of today and the wonderful acrobatic performance! At noon we also met two other student ambassadors for lunch and asked them to take us to visit Lapland University.

The keynote speaker of the next day, Matt Jones, set our sights to the future, near future, the problems raised by the robots cause us to think a lot. His vivid speech used the world famous painting metaphor, simple and humorous. If the robot can also design, what is the designer’s responsibility? Maybe it will turn into a decision maker, I am looking forward to such a future and my possible role.

Today’s weather is particularly good. After an adventure in the morning, we joined the organizer’s polar circle tour in the afternoon, Santa Claus Village. It’s very different from what I imagined. Maybe it’s because there is no snow or Christmas season. I saw Santa and he asked me three questions. Where are you from? What’s your name? And what are you doing? It seems to be a profession job, but the service can be better designed. In the afternoon, the election of the next Cumulus executive committee was held, and a cocktail party was held in the evening. We and the new friends we met here were very happy.

On the third day, the conference is about to close. The guest of the morning keynote speech was Hilary Colins. She shared design thinking. The theme of Cumulus Rovaniemi 2019 is Around the campfire: : Resilience and Intelligence. It focused on the economy and green sustainability, which I can see many activities I participated in Cultural collision, Technology future collision and Multidisciplinary cross-integration.

Today is another rainy day, we went to the Polar Museum. The museum’s rooms are all underground, just like the local people will avoid the cold under the cold in the cold, and may also be affected by the local environment. The Polar Museum adheres to the idea of focusing on the living environment of the Arctic, focusing on the species of the Arctic, as well as introducing local heritage and local folk customs.

This journey I always keeping with lots of questions, curiosity and great enthusiasm every day. And the Finns were not indifferent as I heard. Finland is a very lovely place, and Cumulus is a warm family, from Wuxi six months ago to Finland now, like a long time no see for old friends. Moved still, wonderful to continue. We met intimate volunteers and many many nice people. When passengers get off the bus, the driver would say thank you. The season will not fall and you will always see someone walking on the street. This is a place where no umbrella is needed. This is a place where you can meet the rainbow after the train delay. This is cumulus 2019 Rovaniemi, which is an unforgettable experience of Jessy. Cumulus gave me a chance to see the world. It was also an opportunity for me to share my experience with people like me. I really hope that more people will participate in the warm family of Cumulus. Looking forward to see you in the next Cumulus Moscow and Rome.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.

#cumulusstudentambassadors

Please learn more about our new great ambassadors from the Jiangnan University, China: Danni Deng and Zhou Siqi joining the Cumulus conference in Rovaniemi.

Danni Deng


Hi My name is Danni Deng, I’m 24 years old and I am currently studying industrial design at Jiangnan University. I am doing the final year of my master program. In design area, I got so much interests in design for elderly especially the user experience. I would like to bring happiness to the old by creating special user experiences.

See Danni’s CV Deng Danni_cv


dannideng101@outlook.com
+86 18352537132
ins: dia_deng


Zhou Siqi

Hi, my name is Zhou Siqi and you also can call me Jessy. I am a fourth-year student at the School of Design in Jiangnan University, majoring in Industrial Design, and I will be continuing my postgraduate study here in September 2019.

See Zhou’s CV cv Zhou Siqi

1009723096@qq.com
+86 18757306270
Instagram : @jessy_47zzzz

Four student ambassadors from different schools of CESAAP: Maylis Vitrac, Gaëtan Gremel, Louisa Cao and Mael de Couedic took part in two consecutive conferences of Cumulus in April 2018 in Paris, France and in November 2018 in Wuxi, China within the Cumulus Student Ambassador program.

Learn more about Maylis, Gaëtan, Louisa and Mael.

Welcome to read their reports.
Check also the Cumulus Student Ambassadors FB for great videos and footage https://www.facebook.com/Cumulus-Ambassadors-527204344105153/

Reports by Maylis VITRAC – École Boulle
vitrac.maylis@yahoo.fr

Cumulus in Paris (To get there: designing together by CESAAP, France)
I always liked to receive, to visit my city, to discover my country to others.
It is therefore with great joy to welcome teachers and professionals from around the world to our schools (Boulle, Duperré, Ensamaa, Estienne) to talk about design and creation.
Our schools were transformed during a few days into laboratory of reflection: to question the transformation of our environments and the interdisciplinarity of our four schools, shared with those of our guests. How can we think, build, innovate together?
The round tables were very relevant on the issues of the designer’s role in the face of the citizenship in tension, the conditions necessary to ensure interdisciplinarity or the transmission of knowledge, French luxury. I hope that the cultural visits in Paris were enriching for our guests.
The workshops were also an opportunity to exchange and create together. They concerned pedagogy, contemporary art, fashion or sustainable development.
Too bad we can not duplicate to participate in all these events !

Cumulus in Wuxi (Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities by the Jiangnan University, China)
It was a huge honor to be part of the Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities, the Cumulus Conference. This meeting took place from October 31 to November 4, 2018, in Wuxi, China.

This trip enlightened me and transformed me.
I am a service designer specializing in ethical and social projects. I am also sensitive to cultural exchanges. Meeting people around the world to discuss new design opportunities has been an incredible opportunity.
Also, I was very proud to represent my school, École Boulle, on the other side of the Earth.
I savored every moment of this trip, this conference, these human encounters.

We were welcomed by the design school of Jiangnan University. It is one of the oldest design schools in the country. Today, it celebrates its 60 years and converges its disciplines towards innovation, internationalization, research and industrial design.

During five days, many conferences, workshops, exhibitions, allowed a rich transfer of knowledge and exchange of practices. Many participants came from universities around the world. Also, researchers, designers, industrialists and entrepreneurs were present to cross the fields of design and those of the industry or the new business.
Among these many moments of reflection and creation, a field of exploration opened on the new challenges brought by a society in transition. Faced with a technology that exceeds human capabilities, ecological and social issues, design must also our day, repositioning. It is up to us, designers and creators, to seize these new opportunities and transform these emerging issues into positive and lasting solutions. The forum was a time of definition : what are the new roles of designers? Where are we going ? How do we create new design processes in a 3.0 world ?
Events at the conference exposed innovative processes in the industry, service design, and the ways in which design benefits to evolve a system. The examples evoked local and global issues, because today, the power of technology has given rise to interdependent citizens of the world. It was very interesting to see projects specific to Eastern China concerning Healthcare, the massive use of digital, or urban agriculture. Discover another culture of design once back in France, question our own design practices, our own creative process, our local issues. This is an invitation to travel and meet to take a step back on our practices, then improve our local needs resolution through design.

Reports by Louisa CAO – École Estienne
caolouisa@yahoo.fr

Cumulus in Paris : To get there: designing together by CESAAP, France

As long as I can remember, it has always been a great pleasure for me to be part of social events, to learn new things about my culture and foreign ones, to teach, to talk and to discover. Therefore, it was obvious that I’ve been really excited to be part of Cumulus in the city I live in, Paris, and to see my school sport the colors of this association.

To my mind, social events such as Cumulus are the best way to meet new people from around the world, to create social bonds and to brainstorm about various topics altogether. It’s really heartwarming to notice that in the end, despite the language barrier, we are all able to bring personal thoughts and reflexions about design, creation and the importance those notions embody. We become aware of the very power of sharing knowledge : by creating links between people and countries, by being curious about the world, we can change it. In the end, we are all part of the same tremendous connected world and it is our responsibility to constantly work with the idea to make it better.

I had the pleasure to welcome teachers, professionals and Cumulus ambassadors from India and to take part in workshops and round tables at the Ecole Boulle, when we all discussed about economic, ecological and artistic issues. Plus, it was a great opportunity for me to visit others art schools of Paris, and to meet students of them (Boulle, Duperré, ENSAAMA). I really hope our guests were as enthusiastic as I was.

Cumulus in Wuxi (Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities by the Jiangnan University, China)

Being able to take part in the Diffused Transition & Designed Opportunities Cumulus Conference in Wuxi was a huge honor for me. This event took place from October 31 to November 4, 2018 at the Jiangnan University of China, and I can say without any doubt that it was one of the best experience of my entire life. Also, I was of course really proud to represent my school, the École Estienne of Paris, at the other side of the world.

My trip to China has been a real wonder, I enjoyed it so much, I was amazed by all the new people I’ve met and all the marvelous things I’ve seen. I have the conviction that this trip changed me deeply, I’ve learned so many things about the world and therefore about myself. I’ve return to Paris transformed. It was a very long time since I traveled so far from home, I almost forgot how it feels to discover and explore such a totally different culture and country.

Even if Cumulus in Paris was already a great experience, I didn’t truly understand how ambitious this association was before living it in Wuxi. Cumulus is an association that manages to bring the voices of amazing people from around the world, it allows them to connect through art-related workshops, conferences, exhibitions and talking sessions. Those five days were so intense, we learned a huge amount of things and listened to such inspiring and talented people. The Jiangnan University is a huge school that houses more than 20.000 students, plus it celebrates this year its 60 years ; the occasion to visit it in 2018 was even more special.

I feel genuinely blessed to have been able to take part in this trip. As long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to create, to express myself and to reach people. My main passions in life are making art and travelling around the world ; Cumulus, therefore, was the opportunity for me to make those dreams come true, and the experience exceeded all my expectations. I’ve lived in China for one year when I was a little child, and as half of my family is Chinese, I feel a deep connection with this country. Returning to China meant something special. I never get to see China since 2003, and it was so exciting to return.

The conferences and the Galas we took part in were amazing and so interesting, it was a pure joy to see the Jiangnan students so implicated in Cumulus event. We had the opportunity to discuss, debate and question the importance of design and the transformation of our environments. At first, I must confess that the communication between us (four French Ambassadors) and the Chinese students was a bit difficult, mainly because of the language barrier. But in the end we managed to create deep bonds and to understand each others, and I hope it was as rewarding for them as it was for me to be part of this adventure.

Reports by Mael Le Couedic – ENSAAMA
m.l.c@live.fr

Cumulus in Paris : To get there: designing together by CESAAP, France

To get there: designing together is the theme of the Cumulus conference hosted in the four schools of art and design, Ensaama, Estienne, Duperré, and Boulle (Cesaap) in Paris from April 11th to 13th 2018.
As a product design student, a representative of the students elected to the board of administration as well as the president of the student council at Ensaama, I have always enjoyed participating in the school’s life. Therefore, hosting the Cumulus conference was the ideal moment for applying what I enjoy the most. During the Cumulus conference, I was one of the students greeting the participants. We were all very enthusiastic at the prospect of meeting foreign teachers, practitioners, researchers from all over the world and the possibility of making connections. I had the opportunity to exchange with some of the participants and took them for a tour of the school, and especially our product design workshop.
Designing together is a challenging topic as it involves collaborative experiences, co-working, sharing knowledge and changing the world. In the context of the Cumulus conference, an international cross-disciplinary workshop intended for students from the member institutions of the Cumulus organization and French students from the four schools was organized at Beaubourg museum. The workshop was later presented during the conference. This was the perfect example of how fruitful designing together can be. The round tables and conferences dealt with cross-disciplinarity, the transmission of knowledge and traditional know-how, citizenship and sustainable development.
At Ensaama, the international design competition Dream 2074: a utopia for French luxury was launched.
During the conference, we also had the opportunity to meet the student ambassadors from India and thus get prepared to being ambassadors ourselves.

Cumulus in Wuxi (Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities by the Jiangnan University, China)

First of all, it was a great honor to have been chosen to represent Ensaama as a Cumulus
Ambassador for the Wuxi Conference which took place from October 31st until November 3rd 2018. From Paris to Wuxi it seemed to be unreal. Yet, we were ready to fly to China where no one of us four ambassadors had ever been.
Last year the Cumulus conference was organized in our schools (Ensaama, Duperré, Estienne, Boulle) in Paris, April 2018, so we had a foretaste of what to expect.
After eleven hours flight,7 hours time difference and 2 hours drive, we arrived at Jiangnan University where we were warmly welcomed by Mika, a student from the School of Design. On site we were amazed by the size of the campus and surprised by the number of bicycles and the few cars driving on the campus. Thus, we were fully aware of the ecological transition that is currently taking place in Wuxi. We made ourselves comfortable in our accommodations and then went for a walk in the city.
First at the mall for lunch and then in the village where we walked between the houses and the small shops. It was such a change of scenery!
In the evening we were invited to a reception organized by Codex at Wuxi Studios. Great talk, tasty beers and good encounters.
After a good night sleep to recover from the jet lag, we started the first day with the opening
speech by Elisabeth Garner Nielsen, Vice President of Cumulus. The speech was about the subject of the environment and sustainable design, the main topics of this Cumulus Conference Diffused Transition and Design Opportunities.

After this very rich introduction, we had the great honor to be invited on stage and presented as the ambassadors of our schools.
What a moment! Second speaker, really interesting, Craig M Vogel from the University of
Cincinatti. A very good speech about today’s design (what I will remember from this presentation is the following sentence: « defining the problem is more important than solving it. »)
Like this conference, our first morning at the Jiangnan University was very formative.
Noon is lunchtime. All three of us chose the Chinese meal to fully immerse ourselves in the local flavours. How delicious!
After the lunch, I participated in a working group on Business, industry innovation after which I spoke with the Director of the Nantes Atlantique School of Design about the fact that in his opinion, the Designer is not mentioned enough to apply for positions in politics or as marketing directors for example. In the afternoon I attended two Thematic Forums. The first called Frontier methodology and tech by Cees de Bont from Loughborough University deals with Design and Technology and questioned the relationship between form and function.
« We do not have to design just the product but also the interaction. Design the concept with knowledge of all factors including safety. » The second Thematic Forum dealed with Social transformation and design opportunities. During the talk, the Chinese interpretation of bottom-up and top-down was quite interesting taking the example of shared bikes we have seen in Wuxi but which also exist in Paris. This shows us a ‘dramatic case of social innovation’ as the speaker said. When a system like this is put in place, it is necessary to draw a parallel between user experience and the civic engagement as well between policy support and constraints linked to urban planning. We saw the problem by walking through the streets of Wuxi off campus. Indeed, bicycles are piled up, forming huge piles of abandoned bikes. As a result, thousands of bicycles are manufactured, damaged and abandoned. This is a big ecological problem!

Day 3, the day began with a great talk of Zhang Linghao about transformation design.
« Design must have to concentrate on the business model ». In the past, « Design was focused on solving problems but nowadays we need to more focus on environmental or social values ».
Moreover, « we need to more observe » in general, and « more observe differences between China and other countries ». He proposes four principles. 1: More in depth user research to solve the problems. 2: Exploration: analysis and synthesis by top-down and bottom-up research. 3: System Innovation. 4: From integration to integrated innovation because in the future Design will be more integrated.
How to design tomorrow and shape a better world ? This was Clare Shine’s next conference. How can Design help deliver the sustainable development goals ? After it, I attended a Thematic forum about Collaborative innovation and healthcare design. Such an interesting talk! Good to know that design can also be present in

medicine as we call it Medisign. A great example of the contribution that the Designer can have in this field is highlighted by the Med drone, a project by student Alex Monton from Delft university of technology, a flying first aid kit that could save lives. Another thematic forum I attended in the same afternoon was about Design and Business. I arrived in the conference room at a time when they were talking about Design thinking process. Empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, testing, here is the process. A superb sentence that sums up this conference is the one by Roger Martin. ‘Today’s business people don’t need to understand designers better, they need to become designers’.
In the afternoon, after another tasty Chinese lunch, we left for a field trip about
urban agriculture design and new businesses. A short walk in the Chinese countryside and a visit of small shops run by craftsmen.

Reports by Gaëtan GREMEL- École Duperré
gaetan.grml@laposte.net

Cumulus, a logical transition between Paris and Wuxi

During my last year of two-year degree at Duperré school, I was able to help in the design and the realization of the big project of cumulus conferences. I was so able to understand the goals of this project. I understood at once that the most mattering during these few days was to show the network of the school and its personal network.
My team and I thus, had to realize a show whose aim was to show the realizations of all the fashion section of this school.

During my stay in China we were able to visit installations realized by the students in object design section. Some students had realized prosthesis.
I was particularly surprised by the quality and the precision of the models put forward. It is in China that I understood the second goal of the Cumulus conferences, it was to show the strengths of the organizing country in order to make it shine. While China surprised me by its pre-industrialization capabilities and the ease students had in working with companies. It gave me a chance to think about what France could bring. It seems to me that we have creativity and craftsmanship, one that is constantly developing thanks to the new materials that we create and develop.
For this I find the Cumulus conferences enriching not only by their conferences but also by the way that the event allows to discover the culture and how the new generation reappropriates it.
For this I liked the conference schedule, which alternated Chinese and global vision, without being in confrontation. It was interesting to understand the order of priorities of each country and to note that the ecological – economic – human link was always the priority of each country.

We were lucky enough to be completely out of touch, and for most of my team and myself it was the first trip to Asia. It is difficult to meet local people in such a short period of time. Yet thanks to Cumulus we had the chance to meet students from different parts of the design. On the occasion of the Cumulus encounters we were able to speak and understand certain points of the Chinese mentality that lead to a different aesthetic from ours.

The first day we arrived, we had the afternoon off, we went out to eat, and we were surprised by the lack of people in the mall. The Chinese are rigorous and they are apparently poorly regarded as having fun during the hours normally dedicated to work. Coming from a country where this dictates is much less strong we were surprised and still today I do not visualize myself living in such an important strictness.

Always in this desire to promote China without abandoning other countries. it is interesting to note that Cumulus thinks of the whole. For example lunch we could eat a typical menu or a European menu. Our accommodation is also local, but it does not take us away.
From this trip I have kept some very good memories. I thank the Cumulus Association for allowing me to attend the conferences and especially for allowing me to discover a new culture that was totally unknown to me.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

Cumulus conference Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities
October 31- November 4, 2018 Wuxi, China
Hosted by the Jiangnan University, School of Design

Maylis VITRAC – École Boulle
vitrac.maylis@yahoo.fr
+33 (0)7 77 88 79 54
I am a social link designer. I am recently graduated from Master in Event Design at Boulle
School (Paris, France). I spent four years in this school and I blossomed there. My design practice favors the issues of environment, education and cultural exchanges. Now, I am doing an internship in Paris : I create devices and participative methods to accompany people in their ethical projects.

Maylis’ CV: Vitrac_Maylis_EnglishCV

Gaëtan GREMEL- École Duperré
gaetan.grml@laposte.net
+33 (0) 7 81 21 87 98
I am Gaetan Gremel, I study at Duperré School in Paris for three years. Specialized in fashion design, I realized an exhibition in the school highlighting the work of students during Cumulus conferences
Cumulus is for me the opportunity to understand the international issues and goals of design.

Gaetan’s CV: Gaetan Gremel CV 2018

Louisa CAO – École Estienne
caolouisa@yahoo.fr
+33 (0)6 51 68 43 16
My name is Louisa CAO, I’m 20 years old and I am currently studying 3D animation at the Ecole Estienne of Paris. I just started my second and final year in this class. In general, I tend to find an interest in every form of art, wether it is writing, drawing… Even singing ! But my main passion definitely is cinema, particularly animated movies. I’ve always been fascinated by animated movies and by their ability to bring still pictures to life – what is it if not the greatest form of magic ? I’ve got the fiery will to create emotions by telling stories, to connect with people. This trip to Wuxi we’re taking is a great opportunity to achieve this desire and to physically connect with the world.

Louisa’s CV: Louisa CAO CV Cumulus 2018

Mael Le Couedic – ENSAAMA
m.l.c@live.fr
Aged 20, I have studied Product Design at the ENSAAMA school of Art and Design since 2015. I started with a foundation year in applied arts, and have studied in the same school in Paris since the beginning of my studies. I have chosen to become a Product Designer in order to help people and ease their daily life. With a scientific Baccalaureate (A-level equivalent) in 2015, I was destined to become a doctor but I have chosen to help people in a different way. Besides, I am passionate about sport as I practice running, swimming, surfing, skating and also play tennis and golf but mostly during the holidays. A musician as well, I have played the guitar since I was 8 years old and I also sometimes play in a band with friends.

Mael’s CV:

Please check the ambassadors FB account and follow their conference coverage soon!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.
Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.
#cumulusstudentambassadors

‘I do feel a bit alleviated, if not enlightened, that there does exist a future, a green one – a safe one – that we can strive for, in collaboration, because there are people who pursue similar aims and in unity we can find some might.’ Nitish Chopra

Two great student ambassadors from the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology: Saili Palyekar and Nitish Chopra took part in two consecutive conferences of Cumulus in November 2017 in Bengaluru, India and in April 2018 in Paris, France within the Cumulus Student Ambassador program.

Learn more about Saili and Nitish.

Welcome to read their reports.
Check also the Cumulus Student Ambassadors FB for great videos and footage https://www.facebook.com/Cumulus-Ambassadors-527204344105153/

Saili Palyekar

Cumulus in Bengaluru (Letters to the Future by Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, India)

The November of 2017 saw a drastic change in events with the cumulus conference coming in. The JN TATA auditorium was decked up to host cumulus guests from all over the world and faculty along with student volunteers sprawled across the space to make it a warm welcome. Srishti institute of art design and technology hosted the Cumulus conference 2018 and commenced it on a cultural note with the lighting of the lamp, music and dance performances. Keynote speakers like Ezio brought in their takes on the possibility of design in the future that helped us shape our own letters to the future. Personally, I was extremely moved by Mr. Sonam Wanghcuk’s talk. He gave the audience an insight into Secmol – a school that prioritizes girl’s education and education for the future in a vast solar powered and solar heated campus. The studio and industry visit to Himatsinghka left us in awe as the huge machinery, dyes, patterns and most importantly the creative minds behind these was immensely inspiring. All in all the Cumulus Conference, Bengaluru gave me an open door into the minds of these inspiring thinkers and their creative ideologies for the future of design and prepared me for the oncoming conference in Paris 2018.

Cumulus in Paris (To get there: designing together by CESAAP, France)

Enthralling, engaging and absolutely exhilarating might just be an understatement for three days of a power pact design conference. Ecole Boulle, Estienne, Duperee and Ensaama hosted The International Cumulus Conference, Paris 2018 bringing together designers, artists, thinkers, teachers and learners from across the globe. Together, To get there, the theme of the conference truly spoke about how design is a collaborative process and only when we work together and for one another will we be able move a step forward in the world of design.

The conference reflected the energy of the four schools that collectively brought to us a successful event in an extremely organized fashion from the welcome coffee until the farewell gala. Amongst the various inspiring and eye opening talks by keynote speakers like Gilles Garel, Claire Brunet, Emmanuel Souchier, Anne Asensio and Celine Poisson, Nelly Ben Hayoun’s presentation stood out as her energy and story captured the attention of every attendee at the grand amphitheater in the Sorbonne University. The essence of ‘togetherness’ and inclusiveness was further witnessed at Ecole Estinenne, where communication design steals the spotlight, as Professor Emmanuel Souchier’s French talk was translated into the English language on a screen as well as accompanied by sign language on the side.

The panel discussions as well as individual conversations with experts on The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals gave us students an insight into how different design schools and organisations across the world are working towards achieving sustainability in the coming years by adding to the curriculum, introducing awards and aiming for a more sustainable learning environment. It was rather interesting to learn about the different school’s perspective on the SDG’s and how while they are regionally and culturally vastly different, the Sustainable Development Goals can bring these together and possibly think of a similar curriculum that interests all.

Apart from the organized talks, round tables and panel discussions, the student exhibits at the schools was something that definitely stood out. It allowed us a tour into the world of a conventional design school in Paris, the various courses offered, the studios as well as the work ethic, ideas and creations of the students there.
In the span of three days, the nuances in a crowd of over 200 together emerged victorious in sharing ideas, design solutions and collaborating for the benefit of all.

Nitish Chopra

Cumulus in Bengaluru (Letters to the Future by Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, India)

The opportunity to attend Cumulus in Bangalore has arose quite unexpectedly and spontaneously. I was lucky enough to respond and get shortlisted as the ambassador ensuring my attendance both in Cumulus Bangalore and Paris.

The Bangalore conference started on a high note with a brilliant opening ceremony from our
college students and outside performers. The inaugural keynote address by Shabnam Virmani
spoke on the theme of ‘Timelessness’. She, along with an eminent panel of art philosophers kick started the conference with a discourse on time perceptions and its impact on our activities. The discussion was quite an enlightening and soothing experience to an otherwise speculatory and consuming exercise as an exercise on talking about “future” could be.

The afternoon keynote was by Sonam Wangchuk. He talked about sustainable ideas of working
towards future and working with the community using albeit simple ideas applied intelligently to a local context. His own case study of his school of alternate education was a brilliant and eye opening example of how something like that could be done.
The evening was a little break from knowledge consumption as we visited the Himatsinghka Textile Studio’s vast unit spanning across acres of land, experiencing the full might of the textile industry that India is proud to boast about.

The second day was a chunk of parallel sessions on various topics as academia, technical and working group sessions. The highlight of the day was session by NID’s director Pradhyman Vyas on ‘India’s journey through Design’, shedding light on the path India has traced since ‘The India Report’ by Charles and Ray Eames in 1958.
Later in the evening we indulged in a solo dance performance titled ‘Body Mine’ by Shabari Rao, an experimental dance piece that challenged the notions mind and body.

The third day started with a keynote by designer Neelam Chhiber. She focussed on ideas of
employement through craft through the example of Industree, an initiative by her that aims to provide employement to lakhs of people engaged in traditional art and craft forms.
Prof Ezio Manzini, member of the Board of Advisors to Srishti, conducted the valedictory address summarised the entire conference in his talk and shared insights into how design can be used as a platform for the development of democratic values and ideals and a vehicle for generating lifebased pedagogies for learning.

Having said that, I have to agree, in the end I wasn’t entirely prepared to consume and make sense of all that valuable knowledge that was directed at me.But I do feel a bit alleviated, if not enlightened, that there does exist a future, a green one – a safe
one – that we can strive for, in collaboration, because there are people who pursue similar aims and in unity we can find some might.

Cumulus in Paris (To get there: designing together by CESAAP, France)

The excitement for the Paris conference had started months before the actual conference was to start. Cumulus couldn’t have possibly found a better host than the center of art in the world, Paris. The conference was a result of Cesaap’s (Ecole Boulle, Estienne, Duperee and Ensaama) collective efforts . The theme of the conference – ‘Together, To get there’ – explored the idea of design a collaborative process. The keynotes by Gilles Garel, Claire Brunet, Emmanuel Souchier, Anne Asensio and Celine Poisson, Nelly Ben Hayoun’s discoursed their personal interpretations and methods of collaboration. Professor Emmanuel Souchier’s note was itself a commentary on design communication, both in its content and its presentation – he read his note in french, it was translated into the English language on a screen and accompanied by sign language on the side.

We were also lucky to participate in Cumulus working groups around The UN’s 17 Sustainable
Development Goals and how Cumulus plans to carry out the Kyoto agreement undertaking to
cause real world impact. It was an insightful exercise in experience macro level vision and planning, being able to view the system from a bird’s eye view. Being design students from a different country, we were certainly excited to see the design trends and work in Paris. The various exhibitions within all schools helped us do precisely that. The students took us around, showing each and every exhibit and workshop, speaking to us in their best English even at the cost of sounding a little off at times, and doing their best to treat their guests nice. Truly, we couldn’t have asked for a warmer treatment.

And finally the conference closed with a grand party in the City Hall that moved to a ferry on the Seine experiencing the haunting sight of the Notre Dame beauty being reflected on the Seine from the banks.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Cumulus conference To get there: designing together
April 11 – 13, 2018 Paris, France
Hosted by CESAAP

SAILI PALYEKAR

Perpetually beamish and profoundly petite, I go by Saili Palyekar. I’m a 6th semester student at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru and am majoring in Information Arts and Information design practices. Academically and professionally my central focus lies on graphic design and illustration. However, I shift gears to fashion and styling at every opportunity that knocks my door. I would like to believe myself to be an avid learner and attentive listener who has overtime cultivated the skill to integrate creativity and practical efficiency to the maximum.

Saili’s CV CV_Saili Palyekar

NITISH CHOPRA

I am Nitish Chopra, a third year design student majoring in ‘Human Centered Design’ at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru.
I see myself as a curious learner and explorer of the fundamental characters that comprise what we call as ‘human nature’. I am a principle believer of change as the only permanence in a world full of flux and am always up for a rational conversation that can possibly cause one in me.

Nitish’s CV Nitish-Chopra-CV

Please check the ambassadors FB account and follow their conference coverage soon!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
The Cumulus Student Ambassador Program is a special student award and merit-based initiative of the Cumulus International Association of Art, Design and Media that recognizes exceptional student leaders from the universities and institutions hosting the Cumulus Association Annual Conferences. Each year, Cumulus invites a total of four Student Ambassadors (two per annual conference) to contribute their singular voices to the Association’s Conferences and the Cumulus community overall.

Through the Cumulus Student Ambassador Program, the Cumulus Association is committed to bringing the perspectives and voices of exceptionally talented and articulate students to the forefront, with the goal of highlighting the changes that the next generation of artists and designers are shaping in an increasingly complex and interconnected global marketplace for art and design.