Symposium Class Explores Unconventional Approaches to Dynamic Media in Communication Design
Happenings
DMI unveiled a new graduate course, Design Symposium, in Spring 2006. Students explored possible new uses of dynamic media in communication design while working with multiple resident and visiting faculty.
Design Symposium students – first and second year grads as well as invited undergraduate seniors – focused on three areas: "Motion and Sound Studies"; "Light as Medium"; and "Physical Interface Studies". The course was an opportunity for students to explore the unknown (and uncomfortable for visual communication designers) territory of sound, light, and 3-d interactive environment.
"Symposium was a much appreciated chance to delve into some more experimental/creative ideas sparked during studio and seminar," said second year grad student Katie Westgate. "Here I felt freed to discover more about fields I was interested in, but never really had a chance to incorporate in my work. This sense of play was extremely stimulating, and I loved the projects so much I will expand upon them for my thesis."
DMI instructors Jan Kubasiewicz, Coordinator of the DMI Program, Brian Lucid, and Gunta Kaza were joined by: Ronald Bruce Smith, Professor of Music Technology, Northeastern University and visiting consultant Anthony Flackett, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Art for "Motion and Sound Studies"; Seth Riskin, Coordinator, Emerging Technologies Initiative, MIT Museum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for "Light as Medium"; and visiting consultant Evan Karatzas, DMI alumni and Creative Director of Hookumu Media, an award winning interactive design firm, for "Physical Interface Studies".
For second year student, Ting Zhi, "The class provided so much artistic freedom to experiment with what I was passionate about. The process of learning the languages of sound and motion inspired me to perceive and understand design and our sense in a tangible and creative way. I am excited to continue exploring the knowledge I learned such as layering and dimensionality in my thesis works."