‘Designing for The Pluriverse’
‘IDC 2026 asks how design can accommodate diverse ways of knowing while repairing relationships.’
‘IDC 2026 asks how design can accommodate diverse ways of knowing while repairing relationships.’
The Design Center of the Philippines marks the 10th International Design Conference (IDC) on 18 September at Foro de Intramuros, Manila. Themed Designing for the Pluriverse, the event draws from Arturo Escobar’s concept of design as a world-making practice grounded in archipelagic thinking, pluralism, justice and care for the Earth.
IDC 2026 asks how design can accommodate diverse ways of knowing while repairing relationships between communities, places and the planet. Keynote speakers include Indigenous Australian architect Dr. Jefa Greenaway, Indonesian industrial designer Dr. Tita Larasati and Filipino ethnomusicologist Dr. Grace Nono, alongside local presenters and interactive activations.
“For 10 years, the International Design Conference has created a space for ideas, practices and perspectives that are not in the usual design discussions,” said Rhea Matute, executive director of the Design Center of the Philippines. “This year, true to our positioning as a thought-leadership event, we are asking a bigger question: what becomes possible when we recognize that there is more than one way to understand the world, and more than one way to design its future? Designing for the Pluriverse reflects our belief that the diversity of our people, cultures and knowledge systems is not something to design around. It is something we can design with. And because design shapes relationships and worlds, it also asks us to take responsibility for what we create and for what we may need to repair.”
