On 3 July 2026, VISU-member Lisa Marie Sneijder is co-organising the conference 'Curating Design: Between Word and World' at the Design Museum in London. Lisa is part of the alumni research group from Kingston University's MA Curating Contemporary Design course who are collectively organising the conference. It brings together an international, cross-disciplinary group of curators, designers and researchers for a day of exchange and debate on the evolving practice of the design curator.

Unpacking design curation as a practice of care, collaboration and stewardship, this conference expands beyond objects of study to engage with wider systems, structures and processes that are defining how we inhabit our world now and in the future. 

Structured around a linguistic framework, moving from noun to adjective to verb, the conference explores design curation as a form of language reflecting on and responding to the world around us, shaped by and through design. It moves away from defining the role and functions of the curator towards examining the ethical qualities required of contemporary curatorial practice and exploring the methods and formats through which curating operates.

Positioned as a practice of commoning, the conference will question what design curating represents as a discipline, practice and pedagogy today. It will create a space in which to share ideas and imagine expanded, inclusive, equitable, pluralistic and dynamic curatorial futures together.

MA Curating Contemporary Design was established in 2001 as a pioneering collaboration between Kingston University and the Design Museum. STIR Media is the conference's media partner.