Social Design is not just about solving problems - it's about solving the right problems, together. In a country facing complex challenges in education, regulations, protection of heritage, urban development, design has the power to create systemic, human-centered solutions which will reinforce & empower all participants & communities.
This conference of Social Design Days will be dedicated to urban spaces & heritage, we will discuss ongoing projects & researches with more than 30 speakers from Georgia & other countries, we will discuss problematic zones and explore how small, collaborative efforts can spark meaningful, human-centered innovation.
Our goal is to bring together people from different communities. We believe Georgia has all the ingredients - creative talent, civic energy, cultural depth - to become a regional hub for socially engaged design.
Please see the detailed program below. The agenda is still being developed, and new participants will be added soon.
The ticket price for the full three-day event is 50 GEL, which includes access to all workshops.
Day 1 - 25 September
10:00-11:00 Participant Registration
10:00-11:00 Coffee & Fresh Bar
11:00-14:00 Traditional Ornamentation and Architectural Rhythms of Houses in Applied Art - Workshop by Manana Mikashavidze
11:00-14:00 Workshop by Polish Graphic Design
11:00-14:00 From Conflict to Co-Creation: Design Thinking Methods for Contested Heritage Projects Workshop by Zsolt Polgar & Zoltan Havasi
14:00-15:00 Coffee & Fresh Bar
14:00-17:00 Happy Hour at Networking Space hosted by Vismino
15:00-16:30 Architectural Sketch with an Anttopia Workshop by Manana Mikashavidze, hosted by Vismino
17:30 - Official Opening remarks
18:00-19:00 Reading Room: Kona Books - Exploring Cities, Archives, and Social Design Through Books curated by Nina Akhvlediani
19:00-20:00 Session with Elene Toidze & John Newbigin
20:00-21:00 Digital Cartography: Tbilisi features a unique urban layout that blends historical, vernacular, and modern grids - Project 'Ruka', an interactive form of archiving the city that secures its digital presence by Ubani - Ana Chorgolashvili, Nata Tatunashvili
21:00 - Networking Party by Vismino
Day 2 - 26 September
10:00-11:00 Participant Registration
10:00-11:00 Coffee & Fresh Bar
11:00-14:00 Impetus Gori: New Uses for Old Spaces workshop by Tata Gachechiladze, Natalia Nebieridze
11:00-14:00 [UN]COMMON THREADS: Reclaiming the Imagination of the City - Workshop by wit[h]nessing, iteration within the research project Porous Body of Tbilisi, Giga Tsikarishvili, Tatuli Japoshvili (Day 1)
11:00-14:00 Ornamental Sculpture - Design and Modeling workshop by Gio Zhorzholiani, Khatia Iatashvili
14:00-18:00 Happy Hour at Networking Space hosted by Vismino
18:00-19:00 Earth matters: research and practice of Georgian wild clays display by Irine Jibuti
18:00-19:00 Komli - Guruli Oda project
19:00-20:00 Napirze - How to reforest a floodplain - Research presentation Data Tsintsadze, Deme Gorgadze
19:00-20:00 Darbazi Dialogues - last expedition by Giorgi Margishvili, Ramaz Kiknadze, Tata Koiava
20:00-21:00 Project Showcase by Kera - Beka Gujejiani, Kote Gunia, Sandro Bakhtadze
20:00-21:00 Savele: Pedagogy from the Field Jesse Vogler, VA[A]DS
21:00 - Networking Party hosted by Vismino
Day 3 - 27 September
10:00-11:00 Participation Registration
10:00-11:00 Coffee & Fresh Bar
11:00-14:00 From Individual Interests to Shared Vision: Co-Designing Urban Futures through a Behavioral Lens - Workshop by Tina Stambolisvili, Ketevan Gomelauri
11:00-14:00 [UN]COMMON THREADS: Reclaiming the Imagination of the City - Workshop by wit[h]nessing, iteration within the research project Porous Body of Tbilisi, Giga Tsikarishvili, Tatuli Japoshvili (Day 2)
13:00-16:00 Happy Hour at Networking Space hosted by Vismino
16:00-17:00 Future Heritage - Lecture by Vakhtang Zesashvili
17:00-18:00 Erased Architectural Heritage - Lecture by Davit Bostanashvili
17:00-18:00 Presentation/Session Bridging the Gap - Piloting Behavioral Urbanism in Georgia by Tina Stambolisvili, Ketevan Gomelauri
18:00-19:00 Lado Aleksi Meskhishvili Project & Book Presentation curated by Dimitri Eristavi - Presented by TBC
18:00-19:00 Social projects from regions hosted by Alliance of Creative Spaces, Elene Toidze
19:00-20:00 Displaced Paradigm - Architecture without Purpose Lecture by Natalia Nebieridze, Tata Gachechiladze
19:00-20:00 Sponsorship & stakeholder management, relationship with donors hosted by Alliance of Creative Spaces, Elene Toidze
20:00-21:00 What is heritage we need to keep or value? - Discussion, Vakhtang Zesashvili
21:00 Closing Party hosted by GD Alco
Also check out other Workshops in Tbilisi, Parties in Tbilisi, Entertainment events in Tbilisi.