Comments

Written statement comments

Round 1

Robin Hendriks

An undefinable craft. While this sounds interesting, but by the end of this quarter (within a few weeks) this will need to have your craft fully defined. This does not mean that illuminating and heightening the relations between people and things can not worked in to a clear description of your craft. Do you craft narratives? And if so, who do these narratives serve? Or do you avoid narratives and allow people to create their own? Try to compare methods and pinpoint the differences. Try to be as reflective as possible in your process, but also on the desired effect. It is interesting to point out that the themes in which you work (human perception) have been historically the material of philosophers, yet with advances in technology, (cognitive?) scientists are leading the research in the field. Artists have always dealt with perception too. What is the difference? Do you see the arts and sciences as separated disciplines. Do you look for crossovers been art and science? Try to uncover some key terms that connect your work/process/approach. The consciousness direct experiences (phenomenology) the intentional qualitative heightening of the every day (romanticism). The actual terms are a lot less important then the clear description of your practice, but they might help you find ways to express what seems to be a difficult to describe.

Tim Demper

The discussion of your craft can (and should) go beyond your current assignment. What would you say is the crux of your practice? What tools, materials, or approaches are recurrent in your work. How are these different with the techniques choses for this current project. What does it mean when you make things from scratch without copying? Please expose your making processes. Where do you see your practice going and how does/can it relate to any contemporary artistic movements?

What I mean by “connect to a historical discourse” is to look at where our craft or practice connects to a longer tradition. Please show some images and reflect and compare both historical and contemporary artists.

Thom

What is the traditional meaning of Graphic Design and how do you find evidence of its disappearance? A contemporary graphic designer works across many disciplines and across many forms of media. What then is particular about how you or how graphic designers work? Why do you still call yourself a graphic designer?

When have you last used a paint brush in your practice? When have you used drones? Choice module? If so, was this really representative of what you do? Your tools may be limitless, but do you have tools or media that you enjoy more? Tools/media in which you enter a state of creative flow?

You point out there is a problem with graphic design which in your words is “professional vs. Amateur”. Why the versus? What makes someone a professional? How does one stand for quality. How can you prove your work has more quality that any other?

Het “nieuwe ontwerp landschap” is very broad in its discussion of the expansion of design practices. But whose conversation comes closest to you?

Joke

You mention that an important part of your work is in the sharing and exchange with others. Do you craft participation? Make, build, or foster communities? How do you do this precisely. Is this the crux of your work or it is a final step? Can you go into to more depth on what drives you to share and how this can be connected to philosophies of craft. One thing you might want to discuss is the concept of professionalism vs. amateur/hobbyism. Is there a difference for you? An interesting book might be David Gauntletts “Making is Connecting” which makes a link between historical practices of craft and web2.0 culture. Be critical of these connections though. There are interesting relations, but it is too simple to say they are the same.

Christopher

Disciplines without boarders. Endless tools, chosen by whatever fits the situation. You say that Graphic design is bound/defined by the zeitgeist. Does this mean that your work/discipline is more related to fashion? Does it mean that Graphic Designers are the early adopters of new media/technologies? Does it mean that what the discipline produces is made for the immediate present/'right now'? Please go deeper in this.

Most designers works with Adobe software, but is there a something particular in your process in combination standard software that you could call a signature? Is the internet a tool/resource/medium/platform?

You say the new age designer has a relationship with his or her subject...and has great aesthetics. How do you define great aesthetics. Do you have a defined/preferred aesthetic? Is constantly changing? Can you explain further?

You noted that in your contemporary examples that most of who you included started as “Graphic Designers” and transformed into multidisciplinary designers. Is there value in being based within a discipline? Do you need to know the skills of a trade before you can transcend it? Or is this mainly do to traditional education/teaching structures.

Lizet

The discussion of your craft can (and should) go beyond your current assignment, but what may be interesting is to reflect on how experimentation with new weaving techniques connects to your approach in general. Why is do you want to make a new technique? What is its value? In your second question, you discuss your approach with tools and media (looking for opportunities). Can you expand? How do you choose your tools. What is the thinking process behind it? Where do you pinpoint the craft in your project. If there are many points, please argue them all. Please explain the relevance of your images.

Ciska

What are elements that make a geek graphic designer. What does the use of algorithms and code do for your practice. Does is help you make decisions? Make sense of information? Keep things in constant flux? Try to be more specific of why this is interesting and what effects it has on the kind of work you make.

You say that you can put the boarders of your discipline far away and then you would not meet them. What does it mean to design with no limits? Could you move your boarders closer to help frame your practice?

Denise

In your opening statement you say that animation is about movement and illusion, and you end with a statement that animation is something of the last 30 years. Perhaps the 'profession' is young, but the study of movement is much older. What about the century of film? Or the optical illusions, magic lanterns, and other instruments a century before that? Do motion picture technologies interest you? If so, can you write about one of these tools? Can you write further on one of your tools? Or would you say the tool is not the point, the movement is? What makes for impactful movements? What moves you? Who do you animate for? Please do go deeper on this!

It might be interesting to collect references of practitioners that deal with animation our normal understanding of it. What exciting contexts is animation presented?

Can you go deeper into virtual reality. What is it in its essence? Immersive digital experiences. Augmented reality? Augmented virtuality?

Jermaine

You say your/your professions future changes based on the technology that can be used to create. Is this technological determinism? Are you only able to change progress with newer tools/media? Or do new ways of mediating change the way we look at the world? Please expand on this.

Is animation your craft of is storytelling your craft? Why do you tell stories? Who are they for? Could you discuss the moment in which you know you have found the core of a story. You use write from a 'we' rather than and 'I'. This writing is on your craft and your media. You say that each animator prefers another tool. What tools are you passionate about?

Dionne

Try to be more specific on what surface design is. Why is this important. What kind of tangible experiences do you want to make? What feelings do you want to evoke? Why does tactility matter/why is is relevant today? Explain how these examples of historical and contemporary practitioners are connected. How do they come into your craft. Now this is just copy pasted text from websites...which does not say anything how these works are used within your practice. Try to be as specific as possible.

Sanne

Is the creation of garments, textiles, or lifestyle your craft. What is it within your area of study that gets you most excited. What are the cultural and social environments that influence you? Please explain what you mean when you say that there are a lot of comments in todays society?

Textile technologies have a very rich history and have influenced our society arguably more then any other technology. Why are so few newer personal fabrication tools dealing with the construction of textiles? You state that you do not like the loss of the human hand in the creation of fabric and clothes. Is the human hand visible in the creation of most textiles? What does the human hand add and for whom is it valuable.

What do you think is powerful in Eldelkoorts interview. Sum up the key point and how it relates on your view/work. How do Margiela's and Stienmetz's work relate. Be specific. Zoom in on the actual pieces.

Tineke

Why the term wearable? What does this mean for you? How do you bring together garment construction and newer technologies. Where do the opportunities for integration lie. What newer technologies do you wish to explore together with fashion? Is social media creating awareness of the wearable tech product, or is the mediation the social media the project in itself. Your interest in the ethical questions that come hand in hand with the introduction of new technologies is a very rich topic. Discuss more in depth on how your work approaches these topics. Do you make gallery pieces, critical pieces, commercial pieces. Who are you making “wearables” for?

Michelle

Why old techniques with modern Tools? And whats the value of clothing that reacts? Try to come up with answers for thursday and we can discuss further.

Round 2

Michelle

Material fascination, social/environmental issues and identity construction all connect to craft and fashion…but in such a short essay it seems to be a big topic jump each paragraph. Perhaps consider making your essay more of an article with separate (but connecting paragraphs). Give each paragraph a separate titles.

Be careful of plagiarism. "Craft is a language of material, provenance and making.” Nice sentence, but paraphrase it or use quotations. Any time a thought is coming from another source, be sure to source it. Check - (https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/mla)

You say "By putting more craft into fashion I want to bring back the value in clothes, make it an art piece again”. Is the goal to make art pieces? Were craft-based textile products seen a art pieces before?

Does social media bring our more individual behaviour over group behaviour? How do you prove subcultures are disappearing? You say that craft can play a role in the search for identity. How so, and what kind of identity can it help establish (individual/group…)?

Remy

You talk about computational design, which is too broad term (designing with/through computers). I think sketching concrete scenarios/ spatial design possibilities that could be realised with this way of working could help the reader get into the topic of your text. What would be the ultimate design you could dream up? Right now the text remains on a meta level/too vague on how computation/scripting can make powerful work.

What is happening through scripting? Be specific in how you use/plan to use scripting. Explain grasshopper as a tool and what it does for your practice. How does this effect your ability for control over your designs. Do you give up control? Is it about chance? How is this partly manually (automated) and partly an autonomous approach?

Is this a method? or an approach? A method implies a specific (step-by-step) way of working. An approach is much looser defined.

If you feel that motion, interactivity and media should play a bigger role in your field, please do go deeper on how this will define your practice.

Lucas

Some spelling and grammar errors. The build up is interesting, but some points you make can be explored more. As said before, I think its interesting to argue the concept of the craftman with no limits, but the augmentation that craft = connected with science is not a strong argument. You way that CGI you is where science and creativity. How do you define creativity?

It is interesting that you grew up in the era of CGI. This could be back-up with specific developments related to your youth. When you say that “every body was looking forward to the future one better, beautiful, and more advanced” is a very nice idea, but the history of the future/utopia goes a long way back. The idea of 'progress' = 'better future' is something that is seen in the 50s 60s 70s... and the 80s and 90s also mark a period of apathy in “progress” (postmodernism). The 2000's is bit mixed. Perhaps you can tell of specific film/animations that talk of this more beautiful and advanced future.

It seems that they way you describe your practice is this opposed to dedication of a technique (a craft) as you are interested in everything current that is availible. Is this true?

Telethon part is fascinating – when they cant prove it is innovation it becomes art? Can you expand on these sorts of technologies? This in-between innovation and art becomes interesting with this example.

I would argue that SIGGRAPH is the opposite of the site where craft is realised – its publicity. Internet of Things is a broad term and one not normally connected to CGI/VR/AR, you need to eplain how you see CGI connecting to IoT.

A recommended reading is the Practised Digital Hand (Malcom McCullough)...remember that you do not need to fit in with the traditional idea/meaning of craft...but do need to argue why it can still connect to craft (or even argue that the term craft is outdated/is not fitting).

Lizet

Why do you need and want more prints that are made in 3D?. I think this can be discussed deeper in depth.

Can you consider your work a woven work? In what way? I reads as two posing techniques. Can you discuss something about the process in relation to pattern designing, labour, time, tools?

One of the most interesting aspects in your work is the idea of calculation. Both in the terms that you need to “calculate/determine/plan the design. Weaving is a heavily calculated craft. Could this be interesting to expand on?

Is commercial the goal or useful/functional/pragmatic? Is is new/innovative/never seen before the goal? Some how the work is also timeless. No? This space between new and timeless can be interesting to explore. I am missing a strong clear principle for what you stand for.

I think you need more examples, especially to show how your original work connects to your mentioned contemporary designer. How can you show a few images that a progression to your last.

Tineke

Please explain further why techniques like knitting and lace should be connected to technology. How would lights, actuators (this to too broad of a term….what kind of actuators) and handmade speakers add value? You say the runway is not the right platform for wearable tech. What is then the platform. It is problematic in how wearable technology is framed (art/high-fashion/fringe). This could be relented upon and you would try to carve out where you stand. Indeed, so how do you want to present my work?

Try to weave your thoughts in one larger text. The questions were more about helping you get your thoughts on paper. Your references need to be supported by your writing. how do they connect with the problem of how to present weasel tech, how does its technology bring extra value…how are they similar or different to your opinions on ethical/privacy issues.