Our intergenerational gatherings of RDIs and emerging designers,
scientists and engineers to share, inspire and challenge.
Earlier this year the Royal Designers invited applications to join us at our three-day residential Summer Session at Dartington Hall in Devon. We extended an invitation to join this conversation - to those finding their feet or looking for a catalyst or safe harbour; beyond formal education with its curriculum, classes and friends; to those moving beyond a first job, a teacher, or a mentor; to those who may want to engage with kindred spirits that spark them into the next phase of life and work.
We had a huge response to our call for applications and we can't wait for Squeak and Bubble to start.
Supported by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, we're delighted that 40 early-career designers, scientists and engineers and 12 "Wildcards" (people whose life intersects ours in some way) will be joining RDIs at the beautiful Dartington Hall in Devon.
The Session’s full complement of sixty provides a chance for cross-inspiration, reflection and activity as we share experience and search for insight.
Squeak & Bubble
This year's theme is Squeak & Bubble. Let's make the most of skrap.
The Session will take its unique shape when we come together as this year’s cohort. It is open-started, open-ended and open-hearted. There is no expectation of a particular outcome (though past participants have remarked on the Session’s profound and lasting effects). The Session gives everyone space for a pause for thought, to enjoy shared experience with like-minded people across generations. Dartington Hall is in a beautiful landscape, with a history of hosting creative people to think, make, show and perform.
Writer Tom Lynham shares a personal response to Mend, Do & Make RDI Session 2024
Reflections from RDI Session 2024
‘I know it was a pivotal experience, even though I don't yet know where that pivot will lead.’
‘A truly transformative experience for me. Connecting with people from different disciplines, many of whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise, sparked fresh perspectives and ideas.’
‘We each brought our gifts of broken things,
we shared breaths and explored 'Mend, Do and Make.'
‘It is a surprisingly heady mix - an ambitious, optimistic space for thought, action and play.’
‘The weekend felt like it was about opening doors to uncharted thoughts. The mix of voices, the setting, and the shared curiosity created a space for unexpected connections.’
About the Royal Designers
The title ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ is the UK’s highest accolade for designers.
Our mission is to inspire new generations of thinkers to design a better world. The faculty demonstrates the diverse impact of designers in shaping our world. Explore the profiles of current and past RDIs to understand their work.