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Observe: Material Culture and Visual Traces
Start with human activities that disrupt the earth’s natural systems (examples below). Use creative ways to observe the changing surface of our planet and/or the shifting material culture in our society. You can look at your immediate environment and use your senses and the objects of your everyday [1], [2]; initiate an experiment [3]; or extend your senses with technology and access publicly available data like satellite imagery [4], [5].
[1] The PET Proof of Identity by Imhof & Krenmayr
[2] Chews a character by Patricia Grabowicz)
[3] Monoculture by Salomé Anna Neuhaus
[4] Earports by Fitze & Staehelin
[5] Deltas in Danger by Lena Meier
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Unlearn: Forget what you think you know about the things around you.
The most interesting things happen in the margins of our everyday. To come up with creative ways to look at the world it helps to switch perspective. These instructions might help to see the objects of your everyday anew:
Archive of Observation Scores
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Be passionate: This is your first year in a design program. Why do you want to be a designer?
It is obvious but key: decide for a topic and a methodology your are passionate about. This is an opportunity to explore your interest in visual form beyond a client’s brief. We just added new interviews with former participants: grab a coffee and watch/read a couple of them: Phaistos Talks