Digital Commons Network^™

Function Follows Material, Pablo Ejarque González

Masters Theses

Dear Designer,

How often do we find ourselves lost in the design process, unsure of the next steps? It’s tempting to view every aspect of design as a problem needing a solution. However, function is not a problem. For a long time, I approached design from a problem-solving perspective, treating material as a secondary consideration after the idea had already formed. This approach needed to change.

This book is a journey—a map of material exploration. It is an embrace of experimentation and innate curiosity. Many of the experiments conducted did not culminate in finished furniture pieces, yet this does not …

Design With Decay, Charlotte Wyman

Masters Theses

The following project is an exploration and argument for greater acceptance of material change. The argument finds its narrative through the story of five historic coastal properties in Rhode Island that have become increasingly threatened by rising sea levels.

Despite undergoing foundation upheaval, relocation and leveling onto stilts, all but two homes remain intact. This project is a proposal for an alternative past in which the homes are not moved or raised, but instead ushered into states of decay that challenge our notions around sub-natures and their viability.

Variations On Noise, Clinton Van Arnam

Masters Theses

Variations on Noise is a three-part collection: an index, a set of interviews, and a perspective on a working practice in graphic design and sound.

If noise is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, how do we define it and use it as a catalyst for dissonance and change? As a designer, I use noise algorithms to generate pseudo randomness and break up repetitive textures. As a musician, I use noise to create scores and performances that challenge our perception of what is comfortable and uncomfortable.

Seven interviews with designers, artists, musicians, and a Tibetan monk offer ways to approach the …

While We Were At Dinner, Anna Glass

Masters Theses

Mealtime is globally recognized as a time to gather, as food catalyzes connection. This project delves into this human practice of commensality and both explores and emphasizes the significance of communal eating and its benefits through designed objects. Through a collection of six designed dining experiments, this study examines the role of novel tabletop objects and unusually curated meal environments. The way these experiments are designed highlights how communal mealtime experiences can be used as tools for social engagement and disruptors of cultural norms.

Furniture and tableware designs have the power to challenge the assumed arrangement of traditional mealtime rituals, …

Input / Output, Zach Scheinfeld

Masters Theses

Input/Output emphasizes the processes and systems that create engagement, narrative, and meaning in graphic design, as opposed to singular inputs and outputs. In a series of experimental frameworks, ranging in form from 3D printed objects to browser-based painting tools, variables are put into the hands of the audience and user, creating conditions that are prime for retooling, repurposing, world-building, and play. Throughout, an open dialogue and feedback loop is formed between interface and user, author and reader, and teacher and student, where power, agency, and structure are in constant circulation, resulting in the emergence of unexpected forms, speculative technologies, and …

Design: A Path To Agency, Design Thinking: An Educational Imperative, Seva Simone

Masters Theses

Design(ing) and Design Thinking are valuable frameworks that should be used to drive agency: This thesis explores what design and design thinking are and builds a case for incorporating design into art education.

Design isn’t a mainstream subject of study in public school curricula. Design offers a unique body of knowledge that is highly relevant to the inner-workings of our world: knowledge imperative to teach if we want to succeed in solving wicked problems like global warming and mitigating global injustices. Studying design allows students to connect academic learning to the world outside the ivy, bridging the gap between the …

Postindustrial Playbook++, Maxwell Fertik

Masters Theses

There is no such thing as an undisrupted ecosystem. Every inch of the planet is impacted by industrial development and its chemical legacy has mutated the soil and water. As a response, this thesis is designed to promote abundant over extractive resources and visualize a post-industrial reality. It consists of a series of objects, writing and design research on the relationship of industry and ecosystem.

In many ways it is a playbook++, laying out possible strategies or “plays’’ for making do with what exists around us amid collapse.

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)(ي'ڑ*), a plant that grows in the most degraded …

Means And Methods: Pedagogy And Proto-Architecture, Daniel Choconta

Masters Theses

This project investigates the architectural mock-up as a process that is perpetually in the making. The 1:1 scale mock-up is treated as an opportunity to learn through the process of making and to establish a reciprocal relationship between design and construction.

The Book Of Ezekiel And The Speculative Design, Ian Gonsher

Scholarly Research

In this essay, the origins of speculative literature are situated within the prophetic tradition of Jewish mysticism, particularly in the Book of Ezekiel. The Book of Ezekiel is also a text about design. We investigate how these ancient sources align with contemporary design discourses, particularly Speculative Design, and propose new strategies for the readings of historical progress.

An Alternative To “Rules” In Practice Approaches To Distinguishing Art Kinds, Larry Shiner

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Numerous contemporary philosophers have invoked the idea that art is best understood as a social practice in order to distinguish among art kinds or to distinguish Art from closely related practices such as Design. Many general accounts of social practices and of art practices in particular claim that sets of shared assumptions or norms are a key constituent of practices. But some standard accounts of social practices interpret these shared norms with the concept of “rules” or “agreements.” I argue that the idea of rules or agreements is theoretically inadequate and should be replaced by what the philosopher of science, …

Sky Is Sinking Below The Trees : Two Years Of Documentation And Observations, Xuelun Li

Masters Theses

I see landscape through my own eyes, hands and body, and also through the lenses of Chinese poetry, calligraphy and ink painting. These art forms are rich in metaphor. The way they imagine and depict landscape is romantic, often including observations on dual concepts as lightness and heaviness, movement and stillness, change and stability, all of which have inspired this collection of work.

These furniture pieces include benches, tables and lamps. They are abstracted landscapes, to spark imagination about natural forces and transformations, both through the process with which they’ve been made and through their final forms. I engage with …

On Habits And Functions In Everyday Aesthetics, Kalle Puolakka

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

A group of theorists in everyday aesthetics, named restrictivists, have explicated the notion of the everyday in terms of a particular stance of everydayness that they believe, in time, comes to characterize people’s relationships to their daily things and environments. The everyday is revealed to be something habitual and routine that, despite its ordinariness, provides a pleasurable sense of safety and trust. In this paper, I present a series of considerations drawing on John Dewey’s notion of habit, on the one hand, and Jane Forsey’s account of the aesthetics of design, on the other, that call into question the general …

Rapid Response, James Chae

Masters Theses

Rapid Response is a design practice that responds to the accelerating speed of consumption. It holds a reflective and responsive mirror to our culture of overconsumption. With an informed critical eye and kleptocratic hand, I consume, sample, and render the visual energy of commerce and respond directly in the stream on available platforms and on a number of scales.

Central to this research-based practice is a desire to expand discourse. Through a close examination of commercial language, the visual techniques of corporate branding, and the aesthetic narratives of commercial spaces, I study the persuasive forces of advertising, subvert the myths, …

Techstyle Haus., Architecture Department, Jonathan Knowles, Ryan Abendroth, Jacquelyn Albano, Sina Almassi, Allison Chen, Kim Dupont-Mainier, Helen Bergstrom, Ludwig Rongen, Robert Schild, Derek Stein, Felicitas Bach, Sascha Emmert, Timur Kolsuz

Legacy

Techstyle Haus is an international student collaboration that has designed a solar-powered passive house with high-performance textiles. The first Solar Decathlon entry to incorporate a complete textile enclosure, it seeks to challenge conventional architectural practices and approach homebuilding with a fresh perspective. The team includes representatives from Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, and University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt, Germany.

Risd Pod 2014 Alumni Research Report, Project Open Door

Publications + Documents

Research and report by Craig Dreeszen, Ph.D., Dreeszen & Associates with Dr. Paul Sproll, Head, Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design (TLAD) and TLAD MA research assistants, Karina Esperanza Yanez, En-Ling Lu, and Lauren Allen, Rhode Island School of Design Funding for the research provided by the Surdna Foundation. Dreeszen & Associates was commissioned to work with the Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design faculty and graduate research assistants. The research objective was to identify, find, and collect data and stories about the paths taken by Rhode Island teens (RI POD alumni) who …

Solar Decathlon 2014: Techstyle Haus Project Manual, Jonathan Knowles

Competition

Solar Decathlon 2014 Techstyle Haus Project Manual. The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty collegiate teams to design and build sustainable homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy and incorporate sustainable architecture and design. Techstyle Haus is an international Brown University, RISD and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt,Germany collaboration designing a solar passivehaus out of high performance textiles.

Techstyle Haus Project Drawings, Architecture Department, Jonathan Knowles

Prototype

Complete Techstyle Haus project drawings. The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty collegiate teams to design and build sustainable homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy and incorporate sustainable architecture and design. Techstyle Haus is an international Brown University, RISD and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt,Germany collaboration designing a solar passivehaus out of high performance textiles.

Haus House, Architecture Department, Jonathan Knowles, Sina Almassi, Alexa K. Asakiewicz, Jason W. Askew, Caterina Belardetti, Guoyuan Chen, Kim E. Dupont-Madinier, Sara B. Fetterolf, Zachary P. Futterer, Atara H. Kelman, John A. Mars, Kevin T. Mcnulty, Saja Tourbah, Annabelle T. Tran, Cong-Xin G. Wong

Preliminary Design Work

Preliminary design work for the Solar Decathlon 2014 entry Techstyle Haus completed in a wintersession 2013 RISD design studio in Erfurt, Germany taught by Jonathan Knowles. The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty collegiate teams to design and build sustainable homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy and incorporate sustainable architecture and design. Techstyle Haus is an international Brown University, RISD and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt,Germany collaboration designing a solar passivehaus out of high performance textiles.

Additecture, Architecture Department, Jonathan Knowles, Sina Almassi, Alexa K. Asakiewicz, Jason W. Askew, Caterina Belardetti, Guoyuan Chen, Kim E. Dupont-Madinier, Sara B. Fetterolf, Zachary P. Futterer, Atara H. Kelman, John A. Mars, Kevin T. Mcnulty, Saja Tourbah, Annabelle T. Tran, Cong-Xin G. Wong

Preliminary Design Work

Preliminary design work for the Solar Decathlon 2014 entry Techstyle Haus completed in a wintersession 2013 RISD design studio in Erfurt, Germany taught by Jonathan Knowles. The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty collegiate teams to design and build sustainable homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy and incorporate sustainable architecture and design. Techstyle Haus is an international Brown University, RISD and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt,Germany collaboration designing a solar passivehaus out of high performance textiles.

Techstyle Haus, Architecture Department, Jonathan Knowles, Sina Almassi, Alexa K. Asakiewicz, Jason W. Askew, Caterina Belardetti, Guoyuan Chen, Kim E. Dupont-Madinier, Sara B. Fetterolf, Zachary P. Futterer, Atara H. Kelman, John A. Mars, Kevin T. Mcnulty, Saja Tourbah, Annabelle T. Tran, Cong-Xin G. Wong

Preliminary Design Work

Preliminary design work for the Solar Decathlon 2014 entry Techstyle Haus completed in a wintersession 2013 RISD design studio in Erfurt, Germany taught by Jonathan Knowles. The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty collegiate teams to design and build sustainable homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy and incorporate sustainable architecture and design. Techstyle Haus is an international Brown University, RISD and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt,Germany collaboration designing a solar passivehaus out of high performance textiles.

Flows, Vortices, And Counterflows: Artification And Aesthetization In Chiasmatic Motion On A Mobius Ring, Yrjö Sepänmaa

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

My first question is the general orientation towards the aesthetic and artistic in our culture. Secondly, I deal with intentional and sought-for aestheticization and artification, which are driven particularly by art and aesthetic education. Thirdly, I concentrate on the effects of the change on people and culture, in general, and on art, in particular. The processes of art and the aesthetic have their counter-movements that create tension and dynamics. I characterize the flow pattern as chiasmatic motion taking place on a Möbius ring. Art and the aesthetic are a pair, the parts of which are related to each other through …

Artification For Well-Being: Institutional Living As A Special Case, Susann Vihma

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Millions of people live in institutional residences that differ significantly from their homes. This article looks closely into the quality of these habitations and points out some critical characteristics based on a research project called CoWell. One salient question circles around the concept of homeyness, which in many countries is the main objective to realize in institutional living. Some kind of artification is implemented and is seen as a means for achieving a homey atmosphere and of stimulating the inhabitants and the staff. However, very little research has been done on homeyness. Cleanliness, permanence, and randomness are often recognizable in …

Risd Pod 2011 Evaluation & 2012 - 2015 Strategic Plan, Project Open Door

Publications + Documents

This evaluation report and strategic plan documents key findings of an external review of Project Open Door and agreement and the 2012-2017 Project Open Door Strategic Plan. The plan represents consensus among Project Open Door faculty, staff, and Dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Engagement, and Advisory Committee members to strengthen and institutionalize the program. Dean Phillips asked that the review “...evaluate the current condition of the program, confirm its scope, scale, and feasible and fruitful staffing scenarios, explore ways to successfully institutionalize it both within and outside of RISD, and identify pathways for the future, including greater visibility for …

Forms In Japan, Yasuyo Iguchi, Fleet Library, Special Collections, Jan Baker

Culture

This book was completed for Jan Baker's artists' book class.

Blockprint February 29, 1960, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

Blockprint was a student magazine published throughout the 1950s-60s. The February 29, 1960 issue features articles on a lecture by Alexander Nesbitt comparing teaching in Europe vs. the US, a Philip Johnson lecture at Brown, the RISD Museum's acquisition of a Spanish head sculpture, an organ concert, student life, student club news, and various lectures and events around campus; student editorials, including the final Unadjusted Man column, and creative writing.

Abstract Pattern Portfolio, Mizuki Heitaro, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Pattern, Ornament, and Decoration

1 sheet of text, 32 leaves of plates : color illustrations ; 40 cm. In half-cloth portfolio. Eight plates are color stencilled, twenty-four are color printed (color lithography). The portfolio comprises 99 designs, four of which are full page. Color plate mounted on portfolio cover. Mizuki develops his patterns from a mathematical starting point, devising combinations of basic geometric shapes from equations. His work is influenced by the European Art Deco aesthetic, most notably drawing from M. P. Verneuil's portfolio, Kaleidoscope - Ornements Abstraits (Paris 1926). All text in Japanese.