Studio Karel

Context:
Boundaries can be physical (between spaces, objects, or states), emotional (between people or groups), digital (between reality and the virtual world), or conceptual (between disciplines, cultures, or values). In the present era, as many boundaries are being redefined or blurred, new challenges arise, but so do opportunities. This assignment invites students to explore and redefine boundaries through design and technology.

Assignment:

• Design a product, installation, or system/service that responds to the phenomenon of boundaries. Consider how design can:
  • Transcend physical or conceptual boundaries (e.g., integration of the digital and physical worlds).
  • Make boundaries visible or challenge them (e.g., between public and private spaces, cultures, or generations).
  • Help users better understand boundaries (e.g., digital dependency, technology accessibility, interpersonal relationships).
• Take into account a specific user group that exists on the "edge" or beyond the boundaries of mainstream design.

Requirements:

1. Research and Analysis:

   • Identify the type of boundary you want to work with and the user group affected by this boundary.
   • Explore how technologies, materials, or interactions can overcome, highlight, or redefine boundaries.

2. Concept:

   • Create a design that creatively addresses the selected boundary phenomenon.
   • Consider both physical and digital aspects of the design.

3. Prototype:

   • Present a functional model demonstrating how the design interacts with the boundary and redefines it through user interaction.
   • This could be a multimedia installation, an interactive object, or a system combining physical and virtual environments.

4. Presentation:

   • Use storytelling and visual materials to explain how your solution addresses the boundary phenomenon and brings value to a specific user group.

Objectives:

• Develop the ability to analyze and work with abstract concepts in relation to real-world problems.
• Teach students to connect design with technologies and interdisciplinary insights.
• Foster creativity in redefining boundaries and exploring new ways to overcome or reinterpret them.

Significance:
The topic of boundaries is timely, not only because of globalization and digitalization but also due to the growing need for inclusion, diversity, and dialogue between different worlds—whether physical and digital or cultural, social, and economic. It is a broad yet specific theme that offers students opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and individual interpretation.