Creative Education and Dynamic Media
The book provides guidelines and practical creative exercises which equip creative-major students in early semesters as well as creative practitioners with fundamental knowledge on creation methods.
Combination of functionality, simplicity and aesthetics in modern design is considered a fundamental design principle in the Bauhaus School in Germany,and, inspired by the School, the creative handcrafting exercises and the concepts introduced in this book are primarily coherent with this principle.
The book draws a direction between two and three dimensional material-based design and modern digital creation process. The first part of the book introduces various creative handcrafting exerciseson proportion, geometry and modularity, among other fundamental design principles. The creative exercises will sensitise students on aesthetical and structural issues, and thus serve as an essential building block for application of the design principles to computer-based creative processes, which are introduced in the second part of the book.
The book is conceived in three parts. The creative handcrafting exercises in the first part of this book(chapters 1 and 2) sensitise students to aesthetic and structural issues and anticipate the computerbased creation methods of the second part (chapters 3–5). In the third part, chapter 6 illustrates how research praxis can inform teaching practices andis developed from collaborative research driven by real-world projects (Research) and my own research endeavours (Lab).
Each module incorporated in chapters 1–3 follows a systematic structure and arrangement, including a description that introduces the process, the materials and the expected learning effects. The exercises in each module can be finished within one hour and require minimal pre-existing artistic or creative skills. The steps and outcomes of the exercises asthey were taught in my classes are illustrated with authentic photographs from students’ work. Each module is designed so it can be modified or changed according to the individual preferences of teachers(and also by students!).
The foundation modules in the first three chapters of this book are based on my wide ranging expertise covering most of the disciplines that design students have to face in their subsequent studies. In response to the perceived needs of students, the modules in the first two chapters of this book are process oriented. Chapter 1, Perception, opens witha discussion and set of exercises on perception and interpretation. The second chapter, Fundamentals, explores 2D and 3D structures. The materials (i.e. paper, wooden rods and fabrics) used in these two chapters are simple, low-cost and effective teaching tools. Each material represents certain structural and aesthetic qualities such as transparency, flexibility or modularity. Explorations of these qualities are an essential part of the intention of the learningmodules. In addition, in response to contemporary design challenges, I incorporate dynamic and timebasedaspects in the learning modules at an early stage, starting with chapter 2. The assignments introduced in these modules provide frameworks through which students are able to progress in a way that is attuned to their personal learning style.At the end of each course, all students should be able to integrate fundamental knowledge on creative practices that is applicable in further courses. In chapter 3, digital design is introduced as a foundation course (Digital Foundations).
In the second part of the book the focus shifts from a basic introduction of the creative foundations to more specialised teachings on different aspects of dynamic media. The projects that are included in these chapters result from courses I have taught for final-year and masters students. The courses are target-oriented and the subjects taught are morecomplex than those of the process-oriented foundation courses. In the first half of each course, I introduce theoretical issues related to the course topic and technical aspects that help equip students with the necessary knowledge for the implementation, including software tutorials and case studies. Depending on the course topic, each student developsa creative idea that he or she then implements during the second half of the course into an artwork or design prototype. A self-determined working atmosphere in the second phase of the course encourages the students to take responsibility for planning and organising the design process by themselves.
- Perception
- Fundamentals
- Digital Foundations
- Motion Design
- Media In Space
- Research