[Saturday, April 4th Release] Ritsumeikan University Faculty of Design and Art Edited: "Towards the Reconstruction of Design Studies" – Launch of the "RDA Series" to Open New Era Design Studies to Society by Ritsumeikan University Faculty of Design and Art, Graduate School of Design and Art, and Concent

Concent Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Atsushi Hasegawa; hereinafter referred to as Concent), together with Ritsumeikan University's Faculty of Design and Art and Graduate School of Design and Art, will launch the "RDA Series" for publishing academic achievements and resources. The first volume, "Towards the Reconstruction of Design Studies," will be released on Saturday, April 4, 2026 (A5 size, 256 pages, Price: ¥2,970 including tax).

Through book creation and publishing activities, the "RDA Series" aims to unleash the knowledge and sensibilities of the new era of design and art, and to propagate them into the practical society where they are needed. The editorial committee members are Fumio Yaegashi, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Design and Art; Takashi Hirakami, Professor at the Faculty of Design and Art; and Tomoya Yoshida of Concent's Design Leadership Department.

The Possibilities of Design and Art: Where the Expertise of Diverse Fields Intersects and is Woven Together – Art and AI, Traditional Performing Arts and Technology, Gion Matsuri and Design Theory

The inaugural issue of the RDA Series, "Towards the Reconstruction of Design Studies," compiles 11 dialogue sessions by 22 faculty members from Ritsumeikan University's "Faculty of Design and Art," newly established in April 2026. This faculty aims to pursue dynamic self-transformation learning through co-creation rooted in aesthetic sensibilities, within the comprehensive Ritsumeikan University.

"How are invisible architectures such as SNS algorithms designing human behavior?" "How can local communities be revitalized in response to the challenges of inheriting traditional culture?" "What are the possibilities of the human body as demonstrated by performance art?" "How can the cultural formation of modern society be deciphered from the rituals of the Jomon period?"

Facing faculty members who are researchers, designers, and artists in completely different specialized fields such as contemporary art, architecture, service design, traditional culture, and archaeology, Professor Hirakami was responsible for setting the dialogue themes and pairs, aiming for a "cross-pollination of their respective specializations." These dialogues seek to identify commonalities and collaboratively establish new perspectives. The structure and editing were handled by Tomoya Yoshida and Natsuko Suzuki of Concent.

The "design studies" discussed in this book are by no means confined to the classroom. It is a practical discipline that explores how to connect and govern society from a design perspective.

This book offers the enjoyment of deciphering cutting-edge questions embedded between the lines and insights for emerging communities, and through encounters with numerous dialogues that blur academic boundaries, it quietly updates the reader's own framework of thought.

1. Art and AI, Collaboration of Creativity Kazushi Mukaiyama (Digital Art) × Tetsushi Hashiguchi (Perceptual Media, Affective Information)

2. Design and Environment, To Share the World Together Masato Nakayama (Physical-Cyber Space Design) × Takashi Hirakami (Design Culture)

3. Design and History, The Future of Humans Being Re-Designed Yuichi Idoto (Service Design, Innovation) × Norihisa Yamashita (Design and Art, and International Society)

4. Art and Architecture, Space for Sensation Yoko Iinuma (Contemporary Art, Physical Art) × Satoshi Kimura (Architectural Theory, Architectural History)

5. Perception and Experience, Acquiring Multifaceted Perspectives Eriko Kitamoto (Architectural Informatics, XR [Cross Reality]) × Ryoko Matsuba (Fine Arts & Crafts, Traditional Culture)

6. Regional Culture and Administrative Design, Depicting Indigenous Happiness Shinya Maesaki (Regional Culture) × Ikuhide Nakayama (Administration and Design)

7. Traditional Performing Arts and Technology, Expanding the Possibilities of the Body Yo Oshima (Digital Design Expression) × Mariko Okada (Body Expression, Music, Performing Arts Culture)

8. Groups and Individuals, The World Seen Through Data Takashi Kirimura (Geospatial Information) × Naoiso Sugiyama (Design Evaluation and Analysis)

9. Archives and Creation, Elegant Design Attitude Ryo Akama (Digital Archives) × Mika Isobe (Communication Design)

10. Gion Matsuri and Design Theory, Succession and Creation of New Meanings Hirotaka Sato (Kyoto Cultural Heritage) × Fumio Yaegashi (Design Theory)

11. Past and Future, Reading from Resilience Hiroyasu Oda (Strategic Design) × Dai Nakamura (Archaeology)

Reason for Being "Dialogue" – An Entrance to the World, Others, and Oneself

The concept for this book, "Towards the Reconstruction of Design Studies," emerged as Mr. Yaegashi continuously sought words befitting the educational philosophy during the preparations for establishing the faculty. In the preface, he critically questions and reflects on the five societal challenges recognized in the current landscape surrounding design and art, as outlined in the faculty establishment's purpose document: "① Loss of design expertise," "② Loss of the art perspective in design thinking," "③ Ambiguity of the definition of design," "④ Absence of design education based on Japanese history and culture," and "⑤ Absence of design education for digital natives." Against this backdrop of his thought process, he ultimately articulates the book as "a place to perhaps hold onto things that might disappear if put into words." By engaging with the discrepancies and misunderstandings that arise in conversations between two people, rather than thinking alone, words that one would not have otherwise thought of emerge. Dialogue becomes an entrance to the world, others, and oneself – herein lies the necessity for its composition through "dialogue."

And there is one more thing that is clear. That is, I can hardly think deeply about anything by myself. I can pretend to be thinking. I can pretend to be organizing. But these are usually just echoes within myself. No opposition arises, no discrepancies, no misunderstandings. In other words, the world does not generate. When two people talk, it doesn't go like that. Mistakes in speaking happen. Misunderstandings occur. Silences happen. Overstatements occur. Words you didn't expect come out of your mouth. At that moment, for the first time, your thoughts leave your body. For the first time, you come into contact with the world. Therefore, dialogue between two people is an entrance for me. It is an entrance to the world, an entrance to others, and an entrance to myself. *– From "Preface" (Author: Fumio Yaegashi)*

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: RDA Series: Towards the Reconstruction of Design Studies Edited by: Ritsumeikan University Faculty of Design and Art Authors: Kazushi Mukaiyama, Tetsushi Hashiguchi, Masato Nakayama, Takashi Hirakami, Yuichi Idoto, Norihisa Yamashita, Yoko Iinuma, Satoshi Kimura, Eriko Kitamoto, Ryoko Matsuba, Shinya Maesaki, Ikuhide Nakayama, Yo Oshima, Mariko Okada, Takashi Kirimura, Naoiso Sugiyama, Ryo Akama, Mika Isobe, Hirotaka Sato, Fumio Yaegashi, Hiroyasu Oda, Dai Nakamura Publisher: Concent Inc. Release Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026 Specifications: A5 size, 256 pages Price: ¥2,970 (¥2,700 + tax) ISBN: 978-4-909290-06-9

Main Purchase Locations:

Amazon https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4909290060

Rakuten Books https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/18561273/

[About Ritsumeikan University Faculty of Design and Art, and Graduate School of Design and Art]

A new faculty and graduate school established in April 2026. Located in Kyoto, a city of history and culture, at the Kinugasa Campus, it conducts education and research that crosses over natural sciences with humanities and social sciences, based on the pursuit of new, future-oriented design studies and the techniques and sensibilities of art. A characteristic feature is the establishment of a more flexible and higher-dimensional learning environment suitable for diverse societies, utilizing not only real-world settings but also online, on-demand, and virtual spaces. This faculty and graduate school cultivate creative and flexible thinking, comprehensively equipping students with "problem-solving skills," "re-questioning skills," "co-creation skills," "problem-finding skills," and "creative thinking skills," all underpinned by aesthetic sensibilities.

Location: 56-1, Tojiin Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture 603-8577 Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus

Dean of Faculty and Graduate School: Ryo Akama

Faculty and Graduate School Website: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/da/

[About Concent Inc.]

Concent is a design company that supports the activities of companies and governments with the mission "Open through Design, Open Design." By leveraging the perspective and techniques of service design, it provides consistent support from strategy formulation to execution in areas such as design management, business development, marketing, branding, and creative development. Furthermore, it widely shares "the utilization of design knowledge" through the operation of "Concent Design School," where anyone can learn about design. The company aims to create a society where each individual can acquire a design perspective and use it to solve problems.

Company Name: Concent Inc.

Location: Prefus Ebisu Minami, 1-20-6 Ebisu Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0022

Established: December 1973

Representative: Atsushi Hasegawa, President and Representative Director

Business Activities: Support for design management, business development and growth support, support for building design organizations and operations, service design, branding support, digital media development, creative development.

Corporate Site: https://www.concentinc.jp/

[Contact for Inquiries Regarding This Release]

Concent Inc.

PR/PR: Yuka Iwadate, Mizuho Maeda

E-mail: mktg@concentinc.jp

Tel: 03-5725-0115 (Main)