Prototyping (Un)reality

Entwurfsprojekt Wintersemester 2015/2016
3./4./5./6. Semester

Projektbetreuung
Prof. Axel Kufus
KM Johanna Schmeer
KM Hanna Wiesener

Kick-Off
19.10. 10 Uhr

Raum
Str des 17 Juni, Raum 117

Complementary to this year’s Design MA topic “Natural Forces / Forced Nature / Nature of Forces”, the BA project “Prototyping (Un)reality” will engage with natural phenomena, from both the perspective of reality and unreality. The project will be used as a vehicle to explore different prototyping methods, as well as communication strategies, and will be an introduction to the practice of speculative and critical design.

In the first part of the project, the task will be to research a natural phenomenon, e.g. biological phenomena such as decomposition or metabolism, chemical phenomena such as oxidation or crystal growth, or nuclear phenomena such as elementary particle reactions. The aim will be to analyse and represent, or even interpret, these phenomena, through the creation of materialised abstractions of these in three dimensional form, through lo-fi prototyping. As a part of this, the project will cover an introduction to 3D scanning and making tools such as the UdK 3d scanner, 123d Catch and 123d Make.

The second part of the project will be an introduction to speculative / critical design and the use of narratives in design. Based on the previously researched natural phenomena, we will create scenarios and fictional devices or tools which interact with these natural phenomena, and develop presentation and communication strategies for the resulting designs and narratives.

Where suitable, the BA project will join the MA curriculum for events, exhibition visits and talks on the topic of “Natural Forces / Forced Nature / Nature of Forces”.

Teaching language is German and English.