People involved
Inge Eller
She is the International Project Officer in charge of European and international projects at the Cité du design/Saint-Etienne Higher School of Art and Design. She holds a MA degree in ethnology and history from University of Tartu, Estonia, and from University Lyon II, France. Her work experience includes, among others, working in the Estonian Permanent Representation to the EU and as a consultant on intangible cultural heritage programme in UNESCO. She is specialized in development of international partnerships, managing of international projects both strategically and financially.
Isabelle Vérilhac
She holds a Post-Diploma in design & research, a Doctorate in material chemical physics. For 12 years she has been in charge of the relations with economic stakeholders at the Cité du design of Saint-Etienne. She set up the materials resource center, the innovative uses and practices labs (LUPI®) and the Design Creative City Living Lab of the Cité du design. She coordinated the European Project IDeALL (Integrating Design for All in Living Labs), one of the first design programs funded by the European Commission in 2012. Since 2019, she is the Head of International Affairs and Innovation of the Cité du design -ESADSE and the Coordinator of Saint-Etienne UNESCO City of Design. She is also a president-elect of BEDA (Bureau of European Design Association).
Nathalie Arnould
She is a designer, graduated from Saint-Etienne Higher School of Art and Design. She has participated in the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne from its beginning in 1998 and was one of its curators in 2006 and 2008. In 2011, she became the first Design Manager for the public authorities in France. Her mission is to integrate design in the policies led by the Saint-Etienne Municipality and the Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Government, integrating the culture of design in all the services of these administrations.
Josyane Franc
She has more than 30 years of experience in the field of international cultural relations. She is the former Head of international affairs for the Cité du design and Saint-Etienne School of Art and Design (ESADSE). She was the member of the founding committee of the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne in 1998. She led Saint-Etienne application towards its designation as UNESCO Creative City of Design and coordinated its activities since its adhesion in November 2010. She was the lead manager for the European project Human Cities_ Challenging the City scale for 2014-2018 and member of the Steering committee of Human City Design Award organized by Seoul Design Foundation in 2019 & 2020. Since 2019 she is an Advisor on international design networks & Ambassador of Cité du design Saint-Etienne.
Juliana Gotilla
She works on interdisciplinary projects that deploy graphic design and urban interventions to activate public space and impact communities. Through sociospatial strategies, she acts for the inhabitants to play the main role to co-create a singular design, to improve their neighbourhood. She’s member of the Captain Ludd Studio based in Saint-Étienne where she works as a designer, consultant and researcher. Their innovative approaches on design for social innovation have been exhibited at the Biennale Internationale Design de Saint Étienne (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019), at Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo 2017. The socially driven design practice of the Studio is part of the Human Cities_Challenging the city scale European Program.