Page 26 - DUT CONNECT Summer 2024

FACULTY OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Faculty of Arts and Design celebrated 2024 with milestones that spoke of their mission to educate
and inspire a new generation, advance creativity and engage interdisciplinary knowledge.
ANNUAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE 2024
Delegates were treated to a range of stimulating presentations at the Faculty of Arts and Design’s 2024 Annual Research Conference, which attracted postgraduate students and academics from both national and international institutions to engage in vibrant, intellectual discussion.
The theme of the conference was ‘Harmony in Crisis: Gender Critical Discussions Towards Social Justice’. In her reflection on the conference’s theme, Professor Jean Baxen, Executive Dean of DUT’s Faculty of Arts and Design, emphasised how it brought together a wide-ranging group of critical thinkers who approached pressing societal challenges from a variety of theoretical and disciplinary viewpoints.
“The theme was deliberate and was meant to invoke and provoke, to create disequilibrium and unbalance amongst us as a community of scholars in order to entice and suck us in. Well done, conference director and conference planners,” she explained.
Umbukiso Wethu
The Faculty of Arts and Design reignited creativity with the return of its interdisciplinary arts showcase, now rebranded as
Umbukiso Wethu (Our Showcase). After a break caused by COVID-19, this dynamic event—formerly known as the DUT Arts and Design Digital Festival (Digifest)— has made a dramatic return, turning DUT’s City Campus into an innovative, creative, and inspiring space on November 1, 2024.
A vibrant one-day event, the Umbukiso Wethu Arts and Design Festival brought together students, teachers, and the creative community in a vibrant display. The festival gave students a chance to showcase their work and interact with professionals in the field through student-led film screenings, art exhibits, panel discussions, a live fashion show, and interactive installations.
EMMA SMITH AWARDS 2024
Just Hustle Exhibition Lee Scott
On 18 May 2024, DUT Fashion and Textiles lecturer, Lee Scott-Hempson hosted an exhibition at the Satellite Gallery, showcasing multimedia showcase of film poetry, painting and featured the launch of her book titled JUST HUSTLE.
3rd Year Interior Design Portfolio Exhibition
DUTConnect // 26