Describe and discuss a space where you find the interactivity particularly compelling. Do you see yourself contributing to the design of interactive spaces at some point during your career? Do you think design disciplines are converging?
It seems as though the convergence of design disciplines is becoming more and more obvious now but design disciplines have always existed in a symbiotic relationship with one another. Architecture illustrates these symbiotic relationships the best because so many different kinds of designers fall under its umbrella; furniture, textile, and industrial design disciplines just to name a few. Many designers became famous for disciplines that they weren't actually trained in, i.e. Marc Newson, one of the most famous contemporary industrial designers working today, was trained as a jewelry designer and attributes his acute attention to detail and love of materials to his jewelry design education. Currently, I am grappling with where technology, materials, textiles, fashion, and industrial design converge, particularly because I am starting to think about what I want to pursue for my thesis next year. Our most intimate form of shelter is our clothing and it is a place that has a lot of opportunity to be extremely intelligent and versatile. So for me, the definition of space is not limited to structures that are made of mortar and stone, but also includes structures that are woven and sewn together.
For my Design History class, I just finished reading this essay entitled "Future of Fashion." The author, Donna Ghelerter, writes
"The manufacturing of clothes has always been affected by technological advances. The sewing machine revolutionized the clothing industry in the nineteenth century, and zippers altered clothing construction when they were perfected for use in the 1930's. In the early 2000s, technological innovations in fabrics influence how designers think about clothing, with textiles being developed that have properties unheard of in natural fibers. The abilities of these high-tech fabrics to stretch to over-whelming sizes or change their structure according to temperatures inspire clothing designers and blur the lines between fashion and industrial design."
A contemporary fashion designer that perhaps best embodies this notion is Hussein Chalayan. His intelligent and thoughtful embracing of technology has made him the go-to example for the ideal convergence of technology and fashion. Of his own work, Chalayan says, "Everything around us either relates to the body or to the environment. I think of modular systems where clothes are like small parts of an interior, the interiors are part of architecture, which is then part of an urban environment. I think of fluid space where they are all a part of each other, just in different scales and proportions." (The Berg Companion to Fashion, p.137) Chayalan is describing a modern notion of design which is that everything works in systems, and we have to understand how those systems relate to each other on a larger scale in order to understand how those systems can best be designed and developed.
For me, where technology and fibers converge is one of the most interesting and exciting areas of exploration that is happening right now. In the New York Times Magazine's annual Year in Ideas issue, one of the ideas highlighted was a method invented for growing clothes from bacterial culture which was developed by Suzanne Lee, a senior research fellow at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. I also recently read an article about Taiwanese researchers developing bendable e-readers and screens made from silk that was produced by genetically modified spider-goats. SPIDER-GOATS!! FABRICs THAT GROW!! There are so many exciting, controversial, and weird developments happening in the world of textiles, materials, and science. I wish I had the confidence and passion that Dan Ionescu exhibited during his presentation when talking about what I'm interested in for my thesis. Dan spoke about his work with so much confidence and energy that it was hard not to be excited about what he was interested in. I hope that by the time my thesis presentation rolls around next year, I can talk about my work with the same enthusiasm and confidence.
P.S. This studio, Local Projects, located in New York called does a lot of really interesting work with interactive media and public spaces.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Interaction Theory Blog Post #7
Why is interaction design so much more democratized than other design disciplines? List and discuss at least three reasons.
Three reasons why interaction design is so much more democratized than other design disciplines are
1. The end result is not always tangible.
2. Interaction Design is a relatively new design discipline.
3. A lot of interaction design revolves around the web/user experience so people believe that they are inherently good at designing for such an experience if they are a. human and b. can use the world wide web.
Interaction Design is a fairly new discipline; very few Interaction Designers are actually beyond the age of forty. Not all interaction design lends itself to a tangible concept which makes it a bit more difficult to critique and being such a new discipline with comparatively little academic study and history to base itself upon, the field invites a lot of people who believe they are qualified enough to call themselves Interaction Designers. However, those who are actually studying and pursuing Interaction Design in a thoughtful and informed way have an understanding of the theory behind the discipline, a clarity of thought when discussing the heuristics of Interaction Design, and an incredible facility for storytelling.
When I was in college I took a critical theory class on photography and one of my favorite lectures concerned the introduction of digital photography into the art world. A lot of the art that was being created by the digital photographers at the time was relatively silly and was being utilized more as a tool to demonstrate the capabilities of digital manipulation rather than actually producing good art (whatever that means!). A period existed when many people considered themselves talented and innovative photographers because they were able to use the computer to digitally manipulate their work (I wouldn't say that this time has quite passed but I think we have a better grasp on the fact that a digital camera does not a professional photographer make.) The computer has certainly allowed for a greater number of people to pursue design and art, i.e. everyone is a photographer now, but mass access to tools and technology does not make one a successful artist and/or designer. I think this is also seen in the world of blogging, where everyone blogs, but relatively few bloggers achieve success through the medium. As educated Interaction Designers, we must possess the ability to communicate and engage without putting discouraging others, particularly when it comes to discussing and implementing ideas. We are the thought leaders who have the amazing opportunity to expand and lead the field of Interaction Design, but to do so successfully, we must guide kindly and positively and encourage others to lead Interaction Design in a thoughtful and innovative direction.
Three reasons why interaction design is so much more democratized than other design disciplines are
1. The end result is not always tangible.
2. Interaction Design is a relatively new design discipline.
3. A lot of interaction design revolves around the web/user experience so people believe that they are inherently good at designing for such an experience if they are a. human and b. can use the world wide web.
Interaction Design is a fairly new discipline; very few Interaction Designers are actually beyond the age of forty. Not all interaction design lends itself to a tangible concept which makes it a bit more difficult to critique and being such a new discipline with comparatively little academic study and history to base itself upon, the field invites a lot of people who believe they are qualified enough to call themselves Interaction Designers. However, those who are actually studying and pursuing Interaction Design in a thoughtful and informed way have an understanding of the theory behind the discipline, a clarity of thought when discussing the heuristics of Interaction Design, and an incredible facility for storytelling.
When I was in college I took a critical theory class on photography and one of my favorite lectures concerned the introduction of digital photography into the art world. A lot of the art that was being created by the digital photographers at the time was relatively silly and was being utilized more as a tool to demonstrate the capabilities of digital manipulation rather than actually producing good art (whatever that means!). A period existed when many people considered themselves talented and innovative photographers because they were able to use the computer to digitally manipulate their work (I wouldn't say that this time has quite passed but I think we have a better grasp on the fact that a digital camera does not a professional photographer make.) The computer has certainly allowed for a greater number of people to pursue design and art, i.e. everyone is a photographer now, but mass access to tools and technology does not make one a successful artist and/or designer. I think this is also seen in the world of blogging, where everyone blogs, but relatively few bloggers achieve success through the medium. As educated Interaction Designers, we must possess the ability to communicate and engage without putting discouraging others, particularly when it comes to discussing and implementing ideas. We are the thought leaders who have the amazing opportunity to expand and lead the field of Interaction Design, but to do so successfully, we must guide kindly and positively and encourage others to lead Interaction Design in a thoughtful and innovative direction.
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