Call for papers: DHS Student Conference, 12-13 June 2026: EPHEMERAL ENCOUNTERS

Society News

7 April, 2026

Call for Papers
DHS Student Conference 12–13 June 2026 (online)
EPHEMERAL ENCOUNTERS

SUMMARY
The word ephemeral is used to refer to things or states that only last for a short time. In times of
upheaval and uncertainty, the ephemeral nature of design and design history is made apparent.
Objects can be ephemeral in their nature; creators, users, and historians share fleeting encounters
with materials, objects, and spaces. Wars, natural disasters, developments in technology can
precipitate the disappearance of objects, sites, cultures and histories. Design historians must grapple
with these ephemeralites. This conference explores ideas of ephemera, ephemerality and ephemeral
encounters across the broad spectrum of design history.

KEY WORDS & THEMES
Archival Practice & Methodologies, Object Histories, Documentation, Conservation & Preservation,
Memorialisation, Cultural Continuity, Tactile & Sensory Experience, User Experience, Lived
Experience, Design Intentions, Lost Knowledge, Impermanence, Digital Ephemera, Obsolescence,
Speculative Design, Sustainability

OVERVIEW
The Greek origins of the word ephemera, ephēmeros, was used in reference to ‘particular species of and
birds whose life would last only one day’ (Pignagnoli, Sapino, ‘Introduction: Ephemerality in the Digital
Age,’ Neohelicon, 2021, p.1). Ephemera is widely understood as objects necessary only for a short period of time: a train ticket, a museum programme, a concert line-up, a protest placard, etc. Some of these items are then preserved in archives and museums for prosperity, losing their original ephemerality in the process but maintained as examples of historic mundanity. Others are lost and forgotten.

Encounters similarly range in their temporalities. Some designed spaces hold a more constant place
in human life, and others largely undocumented. Interactions with designed objects form the basis
of lived realities, shape day-to-day life, and can take on collective cultural significance. In some cases,
a single object may store many brief encounters and these are often ephemeral and unwritten in
archival practice.

Archives shape collective and personal memories, histories, cultures through their repositories of
ephemeral objects and skills. Following Ann Cvetkovitch’s view that ‘ephemeral and personal collections
of objects stand alongside the documents of the dominant culture in order to offer alternative modes of knowledge’ (An Archive of Feelings, 2003), the conference hopes to tackle the following:

• What role does ephemera play in the practice of design history?
• How can we approach the question of ephemerality when thinking about sustainability in the
  face of the climate crisis and political turmoil?
• How can archives, museums, and historical repositories work to preserve spaces, objects, skills,
  memories, traditions, and cultures for the future?
• What can design history do to preserve fleeting encounters? How do design historians negotiate
  the ephemerality of user experience?
• As design historians, how do we come to terms with these uncertainties, do we simply attempt to
  preserve and share these histories, or do we attempt to find new methods of engaging with these histories that might help us face contemporary issues?

We welcome papers and other creative responses which fit with an online format, such as audio/
visual work or creative ways of presenting (in-conversation papers, interviews etc.), engaging with
design history and the themes of ephemera, ephemerality and ephemeral encounters. Students and
recent graduates from diverse backgrounds are all encouraged to present their work.

TIMELINE
1 May 2026 - Deadline for submissions
7 May 2026 - Successful applicants notified
15 May 2026 - Programme announced
12–13 June 2026 - Conference (via Zoom)

 

SUBMISSION
Please submit an abstract of your proposed presentation (max 250w.) and a short bio (max 50w.)
using the form in this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2vblHiJLvUriVN1-vCQ2MJRV2_jfG-9FjztBcje1IK578Ig/viewform

If you have any questions or comments, please address them to the organising team at
studentambassadors.dhs@gmail.com