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Park, Young Tae, Kim, Hong Ki, Newman, Kaye and Harris, Janette (2010) 2010 International Design Exchange Project, Living bridges. Hidden Space: International Design Exchange, 1 . JM Art Press, Seoul, Korea. ISBN 9788995627655
Living bridges:
We are very fortunate at London Metropolitan University to own well equipped workshops, wood mills and digital machinery. The legacy of a once popular and thriving furniture and textile industry, based in the East End of London, have left us with this ability to ‘make’.
Currently the practice of design is going through rigorous development with the onset of 3 Dimensional drawing packages. Students now can seize the opportunity to create large, complicated and futuristic schemes, light and materials can be added producing both inspiring and convincing visuals.
Collaboration:
It has been both insightful and a pleasure to have had this opportunity to work with KYUNG WON and DONGYANG MIRAE Universities in many ways. Two aspects in particular are worthy of mentioning, firstly when talking to my Korean counterparts, it is comforting to know that our issues concerning student progress or workshop development are very similar. Designers are rarely constant in their levels of productive output and work through crests and troughs, the enthusiastic activity is followed by moments of incubation that seemingly are unproductive which are then followed by a sprint to the deadline. It’s evident that the design process transcends the notion of culture.
Secondly the students that have contributed to the work in this book are half way through their courses.
However, projects such as Living Bridges require the student to develop their ideas through sketch modelling, through trial and error. A hand-made model can be viewed from a 360° perspective, its proportions; its aesthetics can be assessed instantly. There is an immediacy of judgement, it allows others to discuss and evaluate its function and presence, generating ideas of further development, improving the concept within its context.
There is pressure on the design industry to prioritize 3D CAD competencies before sketch modelling skills, valuing the production of drawings as a tangible asset. It is evident that as the students work through the brief, they only understand the context and the structure properly through hand-made models, those that leap into the visualized model tend to miss the significance of scale and therefore its connection to the site and its users. Their range belongs to a computer screen and within that, the scale is infinite, the views are shortened, abrupt and framed.
If it is your intention to design a structure that not only fulfils a function but more importantly articulates with the horizons, the local vernacular and the quality of light or indeed shadows it needs to be tested and appreciated through a model version. Our sense of proportion translates into messages of beauty and experience and gives us reassurance of its success and acceptance.
Students value the small group tutorials and one-to-one sessions that allow individuals to discuss,debate, draw and model, design intentions. This positive process needs to be given space and time, therefore students are encouraged to reflect on their process and practice, verbally, in their sketchbooks and within an online learning environment such as e-learning environments. This narrative serves to reinforce the students learning and to provide actions for future outcomes.
The collaboration with Kyungwon university and DongYang Mirae University in Seoul, Korea, has given the students the opportunity to demonstrate and push the boundaries of their process and I am extremely proud of their endeavours.
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