Leading international design thinker shares global perspectives with TUT

Staff and students at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design were introduced to international perspectives on design, artificial intelligence, Indigenous knowledge and creative collaboration when Dr Russell Kennedy from Deakin University, Australia, participated in the Spotlight on Postgraduate Studies, Research & Innovation series on 26 October.

Dr Russell Kennedy PHOTO: Gerrit Bester Dr Kennedy’s visit to South Africa coincided with his participation as a keynote speaker at the Pan Afrikan Design Week in Cape Town, held from 21 to 24 October under the theme How do we design to thrive? The event explored how design, creativity, systems thinking and culture can help communities flourish across Africa.

During his presentation at TUT, Dr Kennedy introduced staff and students to the work and academic offerings of Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts, while also highlighting several areas at the intersection of design, technology, culture and research.

Dr Kennedy’s visit also enabled staff from the faculty, who are presently undertaking a major recurriculation exercise, to benchmark the current and future programmes with their equivalents offered at Deakin University.

Among the programmes he discussed was Deakin University’s Master of Artificial Intelligence for Design and Creative Practice, a pioneering postgraduate programme that reflects the rapidly evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and the creative disciplines.

The conversation around AI also included MADIBA SAID, a conversational avatar project envisioned by Dr Kennedy as an interactive way of engaging with Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy. The concept would enable users to pose questions to a digital representation of Mandela reflecting different stages of his life. The project is still subject to engagement with and approval from the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

The initiative builds on Dr Kennedy’s previous involvement with the Mandela Poster Project Collective, an international design initiative celebrating Mandela’s legacy. The project has a particularly relevant connection to TUT, with work from the Mandela Poster Project having been exhibited during the TUT Arts Festival in 2025.

Another significant focus of Dr Kennedy’s presentation was the International Indigenous Design Charter, which he co-authored. The Charter is a living document aimed at guiding respectful and authentic representation of Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage and intellectual property in design practice, while helping to guard against exploitation and cultural misappropriation.

Against this broader backdrop, the visit also opened discussion about possible collaboration between Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts and TUT’s Faculty of Arts and Design.

Potential areas of cooperation include joint practice-led research, postgraduate supervision and exchange, co-authored publications, exhibitions and other creative outputs. Such collaboration could create opportunities for researchers, academics and postgraduate students at both institutions while strengthening international engagement in research and creative practice.

Dr Kennedy is Associate Head of School (International and Partnerships) in Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts and Co-Director of Designmind. An award-winning scholar, communication designer, filmmaker, educator and researcher, he has more than 30 years of professional experience and over two decades in design education, research and academic leadership.

His research interests span communication design, design thinking, conversational AI, Indigenous knowledge systems and digital storytelling, providing a particularly relevant international perspective as TUT continues to explore the relationship between research, technology, culture and contemporary creative practice.