Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to the first edition of the LINK Praxis Practice-led Design Research and Global South Journal. Established as an open-access academic journal, LINK Praxis aims to foster critical and innovative thought on practice-led design research practices emanating from the Global South. By bridging practice with academic integrity, we are committed to publishing high-quality, peerreviewed work centred on novelty, soundness, impact, and ethics. In our inaugural issue, we present ten articles that highlight the significance of practice as both an inquiry mode and a result of scholarly research, positioned from Aotearoa New Zealand. This edition celebrates a diverse range of contributors: eight Māori, one Pasifika, and two South American researchers who have collaborated closely with Māori counterparts. Journeying through this volume, readers are invited to engage with the multifaceted layers of Indigenous thought — from the realms of filmmaking and photography to the art of storytelling and performance. Each narrative provides a perspective into Global South’s and the use of creative practice as a methodological approach to scholarly research. The issue serves as an homage to the trailblazers – those who, through innovation and critical thinking, are reshaping the contours of design research with relationships with indigenous knowledge. We invite you to embrace the inevitable metamorphoses, challenges, and prospects that lie on the horizon, working to mould a design future that harmonises ancestral sagacity with design practice.