Research

This is a report from an ongoing research project and as such it is work in progress. The paper proposes an exploratory approach in order to enable end-users to contribute with their experiences of emotional values of fabrics in use. It is suggested that the textile designer with her repertoire of (experiential, implicit and tacit) textile design knowledge should facilitate the articulation process. The paper specifically draws on a series of workshops conducted within the collaborating company inviting all employees to participate. The series of workshops were based on a game-like setting and introduced an emergent framework for accessing implicit knowledge in textile design. The framework is based on the distance to the fabric. Present at each workshop were materials, chairs and images as initiators for articulation. In each workshop rules for playing and gaming materials were introduced by the authorbeing a textile designer herself, who functioned as the facilitator. This paper uses two examples from the series of workshops to exemplify a facilitated articulation of implicit knowledge in textile design. From the examples the following themes are synthesised as being important for articulation: The hands-on experience as initiator for articulation; the game-like setting including rules and gaming materials as a facilitating set-up; and finally feeling as experts enables the participants to contribute and articulate their experiences. In future exploratory workshops it is suggested to elaborate on an introducing, an exploring and a summarising phase in order to work more in-depth with articulation and contribution to the design process.

This paper concerns the Italian art of memory since the 18th century with special reference to design and architecture. The philosopher Giambattista Vico and the architect and designer Aldo Rossi provide the theoretical backbone of the analyses together with interviews with Italian designers and design theorists such as Paolo Portoghesi, Alessandro Mendini, Gianni Braghieri, Alba Cappellieri and Giampaolo Babetto. The question of how the concepts of memory and forgetting can be enfolded by poetical thought in design is addressed, and design examples by Alessi and Babetto are introduced in this context. Both Alessi and Babetto see poetry and memory as very important components in the design process, providing their products with value and aim.

This article suggests applying several alternative perspectives and logics when working with spatial aesthetics in practice. The framework presented here-the Aesthetics Steps-is developed as a tool for reflection and dialogue in co-design processes with users concerning the role of aesthetics in knowledge and learning environments. By expanding the concept of aesthetics to include social meaning and social relations more discourses are created, which may further a more varied dialogue about the effects and purpose of aesthetics in this context. The framework consists of five steps comprising these possible discourses and logics. Through the steps, aesthetics becomes gradually more complex with an increased focus on the specific user group and its social and cultural contexts. The last step of the framework represents a relational aesthetic approach articulated by the art theorist Nicolas Bourriaud whose ideas about Relational Aesthetics are applied here to a spatial design context.

This article suggests applying several alternative perspectives and logics when working with spatial aesthetics in practice. The framework presented here—the Aesthetics Steps—is developed as a tool for reflection and dialogue in co-design processes with users concerning the role of aesthetics in knowledge and learning environments. By expanding the concept of aesthetics to include social meaning and social relations more discourses are created, which may further a more varied dialogue about the effects and purpose of aesthetics in this context. The framework consists of five steps comprising these possible discourses and logics. Through the steps, aesthetics becomes gradually more complex with an increased focus on the specific user group and its social and cultural contexts. The last step of the framework represents a relational aesthetic approach articulated by the art theorist Nicolas Bourriaud whose ideas about Relational Aesthetics are applied here to a spatial design context.

This paper discusses the experiences and potentials with materials teaching at the Institute for Product Design at Kolding School of Design, using materials teaching as experiments in my PhD project. The project intents to create a stronger material awareness among product design students with emphasis on sustainability. The experiments aim to develop an understanding of, how product design students include materials in their design practice and how tools can be developed that further enhance this. Hence experiments are essential for the progress of the PhD project as they help to observe, imitate and articulate the students' inclusion of materials.

This paper explores how the material selection matrix is used in a materials and sustainability course. The matrix encourages students to articulate material selection requirements to become more competent in exploring new materials and selecting materials for a given design task. The study indicates that students focus on technical requirements when using the matrix and justifying their selection of materials. This is surprising since the students attend an arts and crafts oriented design school and are encouraged and guided to consider non-technical requirements, as part of the course where the matrix is introduced. A possible reason for the undesired behavior could be that students are allowed very freely to define their own matrices, having only little guidance to which requirements to use. A more formal procedure for making the material matrices is therefore proposed. The procedure requires students to use a fixed number of technical, experiential and sustainability oriented re...

Individual (personalized) material collections provide each design student with a tool and guidance to establish their own material collections containing materials customized for their own interests and field of specialty. The tool is integrated in already existing material courses and can and will be further elaborated and used in practical couses as well as in extracurricular workshops and material exchange events. in extracurricular activities such as workshops and material exchange events.