Chris Rust Academic Pages

Chris Rust's current research

last updated 26 Nov 2006

My main research interest is in the role of tacit knowledge in design and the role of designing in multi-disciplinary research. Most recently I have been considering how to apply the thinking of Michael Polanyi in this context as described in my paper Design Enquiry: Tacit Knowledge and Invention in Science, recently published in Design Issues.

From this I am beginning to think about how rich representations (eg cave paintings rather than text descriptions) aid our understanding of complex situations and stimulate us to use tacit knowledge in creative ways.

I have been very influenced recently by Henrik Gedenryd's thesis on "How Designers Work" which has affected both my research thinking and my teaching.

Current Projects

AHRC Research Review
Practice-Based Research in Art, Design & Architecture.
This project was commissioned by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). I led it with support from Prof Judith Mottram (Fine Art) of Nottingham Trent University, and Prof Jeremy Till (Architecture) of University of Sheffield. Our report to AHRC was made public in February 2008.

Transmitting Craft Knowledge
This project, funded by AHRC, will run from February 2007 for 2 years. I am leading it but the ideas and the hard work come from Nicola Wood and Grace Horne, who both complete their PhD's this year. The research develops Nicola's work on how multimedia designers can produce effective learning resources to support people learning craft skills, where a great deal of tacit knowledge is at work. Grace's contribution is to provide specific craft expertise and act as an "Expert Learner" by acting as a journeyman with several master craftsmen (traditional makers of specialist and custom knives in Sheffield) and leading learning activities by a group of novices.

"My Exhibition"
Also funded by AHRC as part of their "Designing for the 21st Century" programme. This is an interdisciplinary collaboration between 9 academics from 5 universities together with the Royal Armouries Museum and some industrial collaborators. The aim is to explore how "ambient" technologies may be used to personalise the visitor's experience in an exhibition on the 100 Years War to be curated by Prof Peter Ainsworth (Mediaeval French) and University of Sheffield and Karen Watts at the Armouries. I am leading the research with support from Peter Wright at Sheffield Hallam and Alison McKay of University of Leeds. The project runs till 2009. It owes its origins to the EPSRC funded network on Affective Communication in Design, set up by Prof Tom Childs at University of Leeds, who recruited the group of people who went on to develop this project. York and Manchester Universities are also involved.

Design & Healthcare
I am also completing a book on Design and Healthcare for Ashgate Publishers to be published sometime in 2008 (if it all goes to plan)

For a list of my publications, including some that you can download, click here