When looking at the online world, the world we see on the screen, there .... Chris
Kabel (designer), jan Konings (designer), Ted noten (jewelry designer), Vincent.
MASTER design academy eindhoven
Designers work in a changeable world. They are faced with complex themes, which cannot be reduced to readily solvable design problems. More and more often they will be crossing the boundaries of their disciplines in their professional practice, while the themes they work on deserve the critical view of well-informed creative minds. The Master course at Design Academy Eindhoven aims to offer students the tools needed to analyse complex questions and develop personal views on possible interventions, both to improve their individual design practice and to create (multidisciplinary) collaborations with others. The Master course consists of three complementary research programmes: Contextual Design, Social Design and Information Design.
prodUSER by Tristan Kopp (Graduation 2012) This project gives the consumer the tools of production, and as such makes the consumer a responsible actor within his own consumption. The project shows the benefits of combining a global network of involved users and local production sites. The example for the system prodUSER that Tristan developed was a bicycle. The design concept starts with splitting the bicycle into two categories: the elements that can be found easily on the market (seat, handles, wheels, tubes etc.) and the elements that connect these pre-existing parts. The concept then focuses on designing aluminum connection parts that can be ordered as designed, but are also open-source and thus available for individual modification. With this set of pieces, people can build their own bicycle by using the resources found in their area.
THE COURSE CONTAINS THREE RESEARCH PROGRAMMES: 1) CONTEXTUAL DESIGN, 2) SOCIAL DESIGN & 3) INFORMATION DESIGN.
The Master course at Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) focuses on research and the ability to transform concepts into challenging and relevant design proposals. The cultural context in which designers and their products ‘function’ is the guiding principle, but the domains the students will research may be socially, technically, or economically oriented as well. English is the language of instruction. The minimum requirement for new Master students is a completed design course at Bachelor level. Students will have acquired proficiency in the design profession during their Bachelor studies. The Master course will reinforce the designer’s authorship. Students will learn to reflect on (the limits of) the profession; reinforce their personal imagery, or signature; and research topical questions in order to come up with relevant design interventions. The three programmes give ample attention to students’ personal development and their ability to work on complicated design questions, both on their own and in collaboration with others. The two-year course programme is set up around research and design assignments, a lecture programme, and, during the second year, students will be working on a research theme they have developed themselves. In order to formulate topical and relevant research themes we will be regularly cooperating with external institutions, governments, and businesses in the creative sector. Completing the Master Course Design DAE will lead to the title Master of Design, MDes.
master course design dae Students who have completed an art or architecture course and who possess a demonstrable affinity with design may also be admitted. Students who believe they are eligible for certain exemptions may submit their request to the coordinator. DAE will not deviate from the rule that the Master’s is a two-year programme and that a completed Bachelor’s programme is a requirement for admission, except in highly exceptional cases.
Alicia Ongay Perez Graduation Project 2012 Inside Out ‘As a student of design, I live between two worlds. Whilst at home in London, I experience the gritty dynamic of the city I grew up in. I am fascinated by the evolving urban plethora of people on the streets and all the trash culture and variety this includes. However, as much as I miss the rich diversity of London, when back in Eindhoven I enjoy the freedom that distance from home gives me. As a British citizen in Holland, I feel less distracted by social and political current affairs, and this allows me to work in a more abstract and potentially introspective way. Sometimes I think conceptual work is like escapism for me, a space in which I am free from the social atrocities I see all around me. Last night I watched a programme about honour killings in Muslim communities in London; then I did a sculpture of a vase. Conceptual art has been defined by artist Joseph Kosuth as examining the nature of art itself – as an introspective discussion on what art is. Can we define conceptual design today in the same way?’ So says Alicia Ongay Perez, who earned her degree from Design Academy Eindhoven in July 2012 with Inside Out, a project in which she explored the hidden premises of contemporary design. She made rubber moulds of old vases and cabinets long divested of any economic value. Using these moulds, she crafted a series of ceramic replicas in which she experimented with skin and form, as well as with the extruded volumes that materialize their empty interiors. The result is a collection of strange objects that resemble the original examples while also addressing the significant sculptural reality of the ordinary things we use every day. Along with these objects, Ongay-Perez showed an animation in which – demonstrating a wry sense of humour – she speculated about a potential context for her work, and a series of video interviews with people from her London neighbourhood. She asked them to ‘read’ an object that she had designed. What sort of associations did the strange thing evoke, and what value would they place on her design? Ongay-Perez’s objects seem to be descendants of the ‘design art’ phenomenon that held the design world in thrall about ten years ago. Enticed by the lucrative trade in unique design objects, more and more designers ignored the serviceable character of their profession to create costly objects that referred only vaguely to functionality. They set their sights on museum exhibitions and speculative design-art trade. But Ongay Perez does something else. She’s not pursuing a lucrative deal with a collector; her exploration attempts to uncover the essence of the discipline through a critical analysis of the value of both design objects and the context in which they appear to ‘function’. Inside Out earned her a cum laude from an exam board that felt the discipline had seldom been so convincingly and intelligently scrutinized, within a project that also produced visually attractive objects.
contextual design The things, with which we surround ourselves, the various contexts in which they function, and the relationships with people they imply, act as meaningful markers of an era. This is why the master program Contextual Design focuses on the research of the cultural and social meanings attached to products and contexts, and how they have developed over time. Much attention is devoted to the translation of concepts into design proposals. Head of department: Louise Schouwenberg
Irma Foldenyi Graduation Project 2012 Digitalogue Digital and Analogue in Dialogue One year ago, when talking to a friend online and walking with the laptop in my hands to show her my flat, she suddenly warned me: “Please don’t drop me!” Fascinated by this moment of paradox, and taking it as a starting point I made a one year investigation between the relationship of body and technologies. I asked the question, in what ways can I bridge the perception between digital and analogue worlds? As the conclusion of “Digitalogue” two products came into existence. The first product is a method, developed along the research process. The second product is a project created with this method, thematically looking at the evolution of how communication tools changed our body languages and gestures. When looking at the online world, the world we see on the screen, there are many actions, spaces and symbols we live in and relate to. But they are only processed visually. Without denying the digital world, how would it be possible to bridge the digital and analogue space with a humane attitude? To connect the analogue and digital spaces, “Digitalogue” is proposing to rethink the online space by translating its imaginary spaces with our own gestures.
social design The research programme Social Design has been developed out of the need for change within society. New relationships have been emerging. The research programme will be developing new models, strategies, and products for this new reality. We will be exploring the encounter between people and design, in order to improve the quality of our day-to-day lives. Head of department: Jan Boelen
Antonio Samaniego 2nd trimester PROJECT 2011 Power to the parents Parents go great lengths to get their children on the right school. Some go as far as to move to a different neighbourhood to have a better chance. In December 2011 the city of Amsterdam published a report on the quality of its primary education. The report claims to offer parents comparisons between schools across the city. The approximately 200 schools of the Dutch capital are compared in hard to understand infographics and long lists of numbers that are difficult to digest. Students of the Master Information Design used the dataset of the report as a starting point to create a clear interface for the complex information. Antonio Samaniego’s Amsterdam Schools Guide is designed to be printed cheaply in a large printrun and distributed with a local Amsterdam newspaper. The data is transformed in a series of eye-catching maps that attract the reader and then deliver the information in a clear, understandable way.
information design The world has become more complicated because the information describing it has grown exponentially in size and rate of circulation. Focusing on the role digital technology plays in society and the field of design, the master programme Information Design develops tools, technologies and products for understanding and intervening in an increasingly complex world. Head of department: Joost Grootens
MDes – then what? Students finish the Master Course not only with a new title, they have also deepened their personal talents. The positions they acquire are as diverse as there are options for designers with a broad interest in autonomous thinking, concept development, research, interdisciplinary cooperation and teaching. Some continue to work in their own design studios, alone (such as Tuomas Tolvanen, Therese Granlund, Thomas Gabzdil, Jose Rojas, Juan-Montero-Valdes), or with a partner (such as Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin: Formafantasma; Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler: mischer’traxler; Mario Minale and Kuniko Maeda: Minale-Maeda, Jon Stam and Maya Ben David). Some create incidental partnerships (such as Thomas Vailly and Itay Ohaly). Some continue to study (such as Alicia Ongay Perez; Joana Meroz and Giovanni Innella have taken up a scientific career). A number of masters have started to cooperate with scientists to work on visionary plans (such as Sonja Bäumel, Maurizio Montalti, Giacomo Piovan). Several alumni now hold leading positions within major companies in their homelands (such as Po-Ching Liao). Some work as project managers (such as Agata Jaworszka who works for Droog Design). Some work on research projects of DAE (such as Karianne Rygh). Many have become design teachers apart from their design research practices (such as Alvin Ho, Tal Erez and Irma Foldeny). DAE has a strong alumni programme, keeping track of the former students’ careers and now and then involving them in special projects. Most Master students come from abroad to study in Eindhoven; after their graduation many of them continue to stay in the Netherlands, for which special allowances have been created.
further information
THE SOURCE PROGRAMME The Source Programme has been set up for all Master students and is headed by Gert Staal. The programme consists of weekly lectures and workshops by internationally renowned experts. The content of these lectures and workshops will be in keeping with the research themes within the three research programmes. We will regularly publish Source publications, related to the research programmes and the lecture programme. External experts will contribute to these publications alongside DAE tutors and students. Location and facilities Eindhoven is located in the south of the Netherlands, and with 250,000 inhabitants it is the fifth largest city in the Netherlands. Eindhoven was originally an industrial city, hometown to Philips Electronics and Lighting, and a city that emphasizes technology and engineering. It has developed into a centre for innovation, research and design. With its many educational institutions and with leading companies choosing Eindhoven as their base, Eindhoven is often referred to as the ‘brainport of the Netherlands’. Eindhoven is strategically located in relation to the rest of Europe. It has its own airport and excellent rail and road connections. Amsterdam, Brussels and Cologne only take a 90 minutes train ride and Paris, London and Berlin are within easy reach by car, train or airplane. Design Academy Eindhoven is situated in the heart of Eindhoven and occupies 10,000 m2 of the striking landmark ‘deWitteDame’ (the White Lady Building). Built in 1928 as Philips’ first largescale lighting factory, it has now become Eindhoven’s thriving centre for information, design, art and technology. Besides the academy it also houses a public library, several art galleries, the Philips design department and various commercial services for students and general public.
MENTORS AND LECTURERS AND RESEARCH PROGRAMMES CONTEXTUAL DESIGN Head of department: Louise Schouwenberg Team 2012-13: Contextual Design works with a pool of changing mentors and guest mentors. In 2012-13 the following mentors and guest mentors are involved in the programme: Gijs Assmann (artist), Simon Davies (graphic designer), Mikel van Gelderen (architect), Edith Gruson (graphic designer), Hella Jongerius (designer), Chris Kabel (designer), Jan Konings (designer), Ted Noten (jewelry designer), Vincent de Rijk (designer), Louise Schouwenberg (theoretician), Jorinde Seijdel (theorist), Gert Staal (theorist), Herman Verkerk (architect), Barbara Visser (artist), and others. History: Apart from the above mentioned, over the past few years the following people have been involved in this Master programme, and might be involved again in the next years: Maarten Baas (designer), Gijs Bakker (designer), Cornel Bierens (artist and theorist), Guus Beumer (director of NAi Rotterdam), Scott Burnham (design researcher), Joost Grootens (architectural and graphic designer), Bart Guldemond (designer), Ni Haifeng (artist), Ineke Hans (designer), Vinca Kruk (graphic designer), Koen Kleijn (theoretician), Joris Laarman (designer), Sofie Lachaert (jewel designer and gallerist), Jeroen van Mastrigt (researcher art & technology), Mario Minale (designer), Oana Rades (architect), Ronald Rietveld (landscape architect), Wieki Somers (designer), Dries Verbruggen (designer), and others. SOCIAL DESIGN Head of department: Jan Boelen Team 2012-13: Jan Boelen (artistic director of Z33-house for Contemporary Art), Dick van Hoff (designer), Thomas Lommee (designer), Rianne Makkink (architect and designer), Liesbeth Huybrechts (theoretician), Aldo Bakker (designer), Hilde Bouchez (theoretician), Christiane Högner (designer) and others. History: Over the past few years the following people have been involved in this programme: Lucy Orta (artist), Satyendra Pakhalé (designer), Erna Beumers (anthropologist and africanist), Dick van Hoff (designer), Jan Boelen (artistic director of Z33-house for Contemporary Art), Bas Raijmakers (theoretician), Aldo Bakker (designer), Sanne Jansen (theoretician) and others. INFORMATION DESIGN Head of department: Joost Grootens Team 2012-13: Joost Grootens (designer), Catalogtree (designers), Simon Davies (designer), Nikki Gonnissen (designer), Lutz Issler (computer scientist), Max Kisman (designer), Gert Staal (theoretician), Arthur Roeloffzen (designer) and others. History: Over the past years the following people have been involved in this programme: Catalogtree (designers), Simon Davies (designer), Nikki Gonnissen (designer), Joost Grootens (designer), Hansje van Halem (designer), Lutz Issler (computer scientist), Max Kisman (designer), Koen Kleijn (journalist), Jeroen Luttikhuis (designer), Gert Staal (theoretician)
APPLICATIONS In order to attend the Masters programme, students must first pass a selection. The application procedure and forms are available through www.designacademy.nl For any further information send an e-mail to:
[email protected]
COURSE
DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN EMMASINGEL 14 PO BOX 2125 5600 CC EINDHOVEN THE NETHERLANDS T +31 (0)40 239 39 39
[email protected] WWW.DESIGNACADEMY.NL
