On Friday, January 31, the 10th DLX Forum, "Design Unbound: Expanding Design Horizons," was held at Tokyo Midtown Yaesu. This annual forum is organized by the Design-Let X (DLX) platform at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS).

This year's event highlighted DLX's contributions to expanding the boundaries of design, its innovative educational approaches, and future directions for the field. The program featured three key sessions: Continuing to Weave, Continuing to Learn, and Continuing to Expand, each addressing different dimensions of design's evolution and impact.

The event opened with remarks from Hiroshi Toshiyoshi, Director of IIS, and Toshiki Niino, Director of the DLX platform.

The first session featured talks by DLX Design Lab researchers and Jia Liu, Director of the Data-Driven Exploration Center at Kavli IPMU. This session showcased recent projects and explored how collaborations between designers and scientists have expanded the boundaries of design.

In the second session, DLX platform professors focused on experimental design education, covering a range of approaches from lectures to project-based workshops. They also discussed future directions in design education.

The final session featured Tuukka Toivonen (Director, Becoming Regenerative Lab) and Sputniko! (Artist / CEO, Cradle), who shared insights into cutting-edge design research and interdisciplinary collaborations shaping the future of design. The session concluded with a special dialogue between Teruo Fujii, President of the University of Tokyo, and the guest speakers, titled "The Future of Design and Its Innovators." This discussion explored the evolving role of design across disciplines, featuring leading experts in interdisciplinary design research and practice.

The forum concluded with remarks from Miles Pennington, Director of the DLX Design Lab, and Shunji Yamanaka, Distinguished Professor of the University of Tokyo, reflecting on the discussions and insights shared throughout the event.

The forum welcomed approximately 150 on-site participants, and its livestream accumulated around 400 views by mid-February. The networking session following the event fostered lively discussions, further emphasizing the importance of cross-disciplinary connections and collaboration in expanding and innovating the field of design.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　(Hyunjung Kim, Lecturer, DLX platform)

（左上）Opening remarks by Director Toshiyoshi
（左下）Special Dialogue by Tuukka Toivonen, Sputniko! and President Fujii