ICOM DESIGN ANNUAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS| BARCELONA 2026

The Architect Beyond the Building: Design and the Decorative Arts 

Host institution: Museu Nacional D'Art Catalunya (MNAC)

Dates: 11–12 November 2026 (Conference); 13–14 November November 2026 (Post-Conference Tour)

In 2026 Barcelona has been designated the World Capital of Architecture and  commemorates the anniversary of the death of the architect Antoni Gaudí, whose  imprint has shaped the city and its Mediterranean identity. 

Within this context, the 2026 annual meeting of ICOM DESIGN, to be held at the  Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), focuses on the figure of the architect  beyond the traditional role associated with architectural and urban projects. The  conference will revolve around architectural practice through the lens of design,  craftsmanship, and the intimate scale. 

This call invites papers that examine the wide range of outputs that architects  contribute to as part of, or outside of, building projects, including: furniture, glass,  lacquer, ceramics, jewellery, and goldsmithing; fashion and textiles; as well as graphic  design, mural painting, muséographie, and atmosphere, while also addressing the  fields of interior design and architectural ornamentation.  

We welcome submissions that explore these multidisciplinary practices beyond the  large scale, addressing projects, creative processes, and cultural influences from the  Middle Ages to the present day and across the globe.  

Could the intimate scale of design be the true space in which an architect’s identity is  manifested? What does an architect bring to the design of smaller scale objects or  interiors that makes their practice unique? How, in which historical contexts and for  which audiences have architects employed traditional techniques and crafts to enrich  sensorial experience? What are the challenges in conservation, exhibition, and  restoration of this heritage? What intimate stories are behind the creation of the  designs? How do architects use design as a bridge to imagine and construct other  possible worlds or to create playful and imaginative works?  

Proposals offering critical perspectives may consider (but are not limited to) the  following themes: 

- Architecture, a home for the total arts 

- Design and architectural photography 

- Material practices and intimate craft 

- Identity and gender 

- Heritage, conservation and collections

- Microarchitectures 

- Visionary, utopian, and playful creations 

- Sustainability, circularity, and materials 

This international congress aims to gather a limited number of contributions,  representing original studies and intended to foster discussion at the intersection of  academic and curatorial scholarship and professional practice.  

Why MNAC? 

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), in Barcelona is an ideal site for this  productive dialogue, as an institution dedicated to all artistic disciplines from the  Romanesque period to the twenty-first century, and it houses a unique collection of  decorative arts by architects such as Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, artists who  pushed the boundaries. 

The museum is entering a new phase marked by an ambitious expansion project at the  Palau Victoria Eugènia, scheduled for completion in 2029 to coincide with the  centenary of the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. This expansion will further  strengthen the Museum’s role as an institution without chronological or stylistic  boundaries, capable of representing and promoting the full scope of Catalan artistic  production.  

The ICOM DESIGN meeting in Barcelona proposes a rich programme of visits to  significant historical sites and museums throughout the city and its surroundings, while  engaging with contemporary collections and makers. 

How do I apply?  

- Abstract of 300-400 words 

- Short Resume 

- Submit to icom-design-2026@museunacional.cat by June 30th. - Notification of acceptance: 15 July 2026  

- Post-conference tour: 13–14 November 2026 

Participants will be expected to give their presentations in English, which should last 15  minutes and include a visual presentation component. Proposals will be peer reviewed  and the results of the conference may be published. 

Presenters will be expected to cover their own registration and travel expenses. Travel  grants for young ICOM members (under 40 years old) will be available. Information will  follow for those applications.  

Membership requirements 

Please note that all participants must be individual members or representatives of  institutional members of ICOM DESIGN at the time of the conference. 

Find more information about how to become a member of ICOM and ICOM-DESIGN  here: https://icom.museum/en/get-involved

ICOM-Design International Symposium

National Museum, Oslo
28–30 October 2025
Post-Symposium 31 October–1 November 2025

Deadline: 29 July 2025

For more information on how to apply click here.

The Design Collection Displays Reassessed symposium will discuss collection displays as sites of knowledge exchange and active engagement. The new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, a merger of four previously independent museums, is a fitting venue for a symposium with this theme. It opened its new, large-scale collection display in 2022, including decorative arts, design, interiors, fashion and studio crafts from the 1100s to the present.

Keynote Speakers

• Corinna Gardner, Senior Curator, Design and Digital, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
• Dr Sebastian Hackenschmidt, Curator of Furniture and Woodwork, MAK – Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna
• Marco Magni, founder and chief architect, and Maria Cristina Rizzello, architect and partner, Guicciardini & Magni Architetti, Florence
• Dr Leena Svinhufvud, Leading Researcher, Architecture & Design Museum, Helsinki

Image: Marco Magni, Guicciardini & Magni Architetti, sketch for Room 21, the collection display, National Museum, Oslo. Photo: Mario Ciampi

We are pleased to announce that the Call for Papers section of the ICOM Dubai 2025 website is open: https://dubai2025.icom.museum/call-for-papers. Even if you are not planning to present a paper this is how you should register to join us on the DESIGN IC Day site visits. ICOM Dubai will be held 11–17 November 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
 
There will be three ICOM DESIGN sessions held at the Dubai General Conference and one IC Day of site visits:

1. A-10 (DESIGN (ICDAD), GLASS) - Adornment and Identity (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
2. B-7 (or BC-7) (DESIGN (ICDAD), DEMHIST) - Adornment and Identity in Spatial Design and Objects (12th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
3. C-7 (COSTUME, DESIGN (ICDAD)) - Adornment and Identity (13th November 2025, 1.5 hours)
4. IC Day - Dubai’s Decorative Arts, Design, and Intangible Heritage (15th November 2025, all day)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: JUNE 22, 2025

For more information on the sessions' topics and application, please click here.

Photo: National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo. Image courtesy of Nasjonalmuseet

In addition to its Annual Conference in Dubai, ICOM–DESIGN is also organizing a separate 2025 International Symposium on the theme of “Collection Displays Reassessed” at the new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (Nasjonalmuseet), 28–30 October, 2025. This program, organized by Nasjonalmuseet Senior Curator and ICOM–DESIGN board member Dr. Denise Hagströmer, will be followed by a special post-symposium tour to local destinations 30 October–1 November. Stay tuned for more information to come!

Photo: Museum of the Future, Dubai

Join ICOM–DESIGN for our 2025 Annual Meeting at the World Trade Centre, Dubai, during ICOM’s triennial General Conference, 11–17 November 2025. Find more information on their newly launched website: https://dubai2025.icom.museum/
 
The overall theme of ICOM Dubai is “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” with three subthemes: “Intangible Heritage,” “Digital Technologies,” and “Youth Power.”

ICOM–DESIGN is planning three separate joint sessions with the international committees GLASS, COSTUME, and DEMHIST on the theme of “Adornment and Identity,” with slight variations depending on the partnering committee. We will also have a specially organized DESIGN IC Day of touring museums and other sites in Dubai of relevance to decorative arts and design professionals. Look for a Call for Papers on this topic in the coming weeks. Presentations will likely be relatively short, 10–15 minutes, and should relate to “Adornment and Identity,” hopefully in the context of one of the conference subthemes. Deadline for CfP submissions is 15 June 2025 unless otherwise stated on the Dubai website. Please submit your proposals through the General Conference portal: Shaping the Future of Museums and Heritage | ICOM Dubai 2025.  We will also send out a mailing to ICOM DESIGN members and members of interest as soon as the ICOM Dubai 2025 CfP registration is open.