Educating through/to disruption

FromTransdisciplinarytoUndisciplinedDesignLearning:Educatingthrough/toDisruption

FlavianoCelaschi,ElenaFormia,EleonoraLupoPolitecnicodiMilano,PolitecnicodiTorino

3rdInternationalForumofDesignasaProcess

3‐5November2011,Torino

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1 Interdisciplinarityindesignteaching:historicalapproaches

Fromtransdisciplinaritytoundisciplineddesignteaching:existingapproaches

Aproposal:disruptionasundisciplinedattitudeineducation

Hypothesis

Whicharethechallengesofthenewlearningindesign?

Isitpossibletoinnovatethedesignteachingprocessesinordertotraindesignermoreandmoreabletoinnovate?

Westartfromahistoricalpointofview…

Educatingthrough/toDisruption|Celaschi,Formia,Lupo|4november2011

Interdisciplinarityindesignteaching:historicalapproaches

Thehistoryofdesigncoursesandschools,andofrelatedapproaches,demonstrateshowdesignoccupiedthemiddleofan“ideal”convergenceofknowledge,followingaprocessofstudyandassimilationofinterpretativemodels,theoreticalandmethodologicalapparatus,researchtools.


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TheliteratureaboutthistopicagreesindeIiningadualism:

WecanalsoreadthisconIlictasadoublelineofapproachestodesignteaching:


1ThetraditionoftheArts&Crafts,whichdatesbacktothecritictotheindustrialisationemergedintheXIXCentury,andmoreingeneralthetraditionoftheartisticdisciplines(i.e.creativeartandappliedart)

Theresearchforthelegitimisationofdesignasascience(i.e.whichproducesproductsandtechniccontents),whichemergedinarelevantmannerfromthehalfofXXCentury

Thecultivationofthe“artistic”dimensionofthedesigner(thecreativityofthesubject)

Theresearchforinnovativemethodsfordesigning(thecreativityoftheprocesses)

<< >>subjectivity objectivity


Thepioneercontestsinwhichdesigneducationwasbornshowthisambivalentnature,bothinsidetheevolutionofthebasiccoursesdevelopedduringtheirlife,bothinageneraloverviewofthehistoricalcontinuityoftheexperiences.

TheBauhausSchool(19191933) theHochschulefurGestaltung ofUlm(19531968)


1<< >>subjectivity objectivity

ANewWorldBauhausGropius

1919‐1928Weimar‐Dessau

ANew“Man”NewBauhausMoholy‐Nagy1937‐1955Chicago

ANewCultureUfG

Maldonado,Aicher,Ohl,Rittel,etc.1958‐1968

Ulm


ArchetypeofDesignCurriculum(A.Findeli,RethinkingDesignEducationforthe21stCentury:Theoretical,Methodological,andEthicalDiscussion,“DesignIssues”,v.17,n.1,2001)


Purpose/Project

Technology

Art Science

A T

S

SA

T

T

A

S

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ApracticalexempliVication:theItaliancase

WheninthehalfofXXCenturythedebatesontheneedofindustrialdesigninsideuniversitiesdisciplinesemerged(Lamemoriaeilfuturo.ICongressoInternazionaledell’IndustrialDesign.TriennalediMilano1954),thecountrycountsofanempiricalinheritance:


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TheschoolsofEngineering,inparticularthetwoPolytechnics(TorinoandMilano)

TheschoolsofArt(academiesofart,schoolsofappliedartsandartsandcrafts)



Inthemeantime,otherinitiativesdemonstratetheincreasingdebateandtheneedofnewtrainingcoursesforthedesigner:manyothersdesigncoursesandschoolswerefounded,mostlyofthemwereprivate.


1TheschoolsArchitecture(insidePolytechnicsorindependent:‐  Industrialdesigncourses(1955,Firenze;1958,Napoli;1969.Torino)

‐  FoundationoftheVirstDesignFaculty,Milano(1995)

ISIA,IstitutiSuperioriIndustrieArtistiche(1974,Roma)

IndustrialDesignCourseatAcademiaLigusticadiBelleArti(1970,Genova)

ScuolaPolitecnicadelDesign(Milano,1970)DomusAcademy(Milano,1980)Futurarium(Milano,1995)


Transdisciplinaryapproach

M.Cometa(StudiCulturali)Latransdisciplinaritàèlacapacitàditraghettaredaunadisciplinaall’altraframmentidisapere.Dunquesitratta(…)delrealespostamentodimetodiesoggettidaunambitoall’altro.(…)Trans‐richiamailcarattereperformativodiquestetransizioni.

JohnMarshall(Perimeters,BoundariesandBorders)A‘transdisciplinary’approachrecognisestheboundariesoftheproblembeingaddressed,nottheartiVicialboundariesofdisciplines


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fromasubjectivetoanobjectiveeducationalapproach


subjectivity objectivity

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fromtransdisciplinarytoundisciplinary/indisciplinedapproach


Transdisciplinary

undisciplined

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Theblurringofdesignboundaries

“Weareinapostdisciplinaryage”Rodgers,Smyth,Digitalblur.Creativepracticesattheboundariesofarchitecture,design,art,2010

designersnolongerIitintoorderlycategoriesanddesignisbeingdescribedasmultidisciplinary,crossdisciplinary,interdisciplinaryandtransdisciplinary(Brownetal.,2010;TurnbullHocking,2010)


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Newdesignerhybrids

TonyDunne,HeadofInteractionDesignattheRCA,states:“Newhybridsofdesignareemerging.Peopledon’tQitinneatcategories;they’reamixtureofartists,engineers,designers,thinkers.They’reinthatfuzzyspaceandmightbeQindingitquitetough,buttheresultsarereallyexciting.”(West,2007)

RichardSeymour(2006)hasclaimedthatdesignissplittingintotwoseparatedisciplines.Heproposedthattheworldneedsadifferentbreedofdesignerinthismodern,dynamicandhighlycompetitiveenvironment–the“hybrid”designer:‐ the“polymathinterpolator”useshisorherexperienceand“broadbandwidth”todeIinetheareawherethesolutionmightlieand‐ the“specialistexecutor”thenimplementsitspeciIicallywithintheformatthatisneeded


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Intermultitransactions

onedaysymposiumwithanumberofleadingpractitionersfromtheIieldsofart,architectureanddesignwhoeachshareacommondesiretoexploittheircreativepractice.


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Implicationineducation(Rodgers,2007)

‐DesignstudentsshouldnotattempttodevelopdeepexpertiseinanyoneIield,but,rather,takeininformationfrommanysources.Farfrombeingaweaknessthisrepresentsrealgeneraliststrength;‐Designingisnolongeralocalisedactivity.Everyindividualdesigneranddesignpracticecompetesandhasaccesstoeverylevelofpracticeandexpertise;‐DesignersneedevergreaterIlexibilityandnetworkingskills;‐Designersmustbecomfortableworkingwithothers,andbeingskilledinmanagingthedynamicsofgroupactivityasitisrarenowfordesignprojectstobecompletedbyanindividual;‐Designingisincreasinglyaboutintellectualcapitalandlessaboutdeliveringatradeorcraftability;‐Designersmustbeskilledincreatingtherightenvironmenttopromotecreativethinkinganddesignactivitythatdevelopsvitalintellectualcapital;


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undisciplinarity

Theepistemologicalshifttowardsundisciplinarity(Bauwens,2009)

It'snot"interdisciplinary”,neitherisittransdisciplinary.It’sanevolutionfromdisciplinarity,tointerdisciplinarity,viatransdisciplinarity,toundisciplinarity;forgettingaboutdisciplinesaltogetherbeingamoreradicalstepthanmerely‘transcending’thedisciplines.

It'sanepistemologicalshift.


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undisciplinarity

"undisciplinarityisasmuchawayofdoingworkasitisadeparturefromwaysofdoingwork.”(JohnMarshall&JulianBleeckerinDigitalblur,2010)

newknowledgeiscreatedratherthanincrementalcontributionstoabodyofexistingknowledge.

itisawayofworkingandanapproachtocreatingandcirculatingculturethatcangoitsownway,withoutworryingaboutworkingoutsideofwhathistories‐of‐disciplinessayis“proper”work.Inotherwords,itis“undisciplined”

Wedon’tsaydesignasadisciplinedoesn’texist;neitherwesaydesignhasnothematicspeciVicity!


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Undisciplined!DRS2008Conference

OnbeingUndisciplinedAlanBlackwell,2008

Cruciblenetworkforresearchininterdisciplinarydesign(Blackwell&Good2008)

Academicdisciplinesaddresswell‐formulatedproblems,theymustagreeonwhatkindofaproblemtheyareaddressing(i.e.whichdisciplineitbelongsto),thatthereareagreedmethodsforaddressingtheproblem,andagreedcriteriaforwhatconstitutesananswer.Alloftheseattributesareatthecentreofacademicrigour,andoftheintellectual‘discipline’thatconstitutesanacademicdiscipline.Yetthesequalitiesofrigouranddisciplinearemostlyindirectoppositiontothepracticesandvaluesofdesign

DesignresearchIieldsareeverlikelytobecomeengagedinproblemsthatdefyconventionalconceptsofacademicrigour.


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fromasubjectivetoanobjectiveeducationalapproach



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fromasubjectivetoanobjectiveeducationalapproachfromtransdisciplinarytoundisciplinedapproach



Transdisciplinary

undisciplined

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Fromtransdisciplinaritytoundisciplineddesignlearning:existingapproaches


TRANSDISCIPLINARITY

UNDISCIPLINED

OBJECTIVITYSUBJECTIVITY

Self‐taughtdesigner Designerasmediator

DisruptivedesignerSituationistdesigner 2

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aproposal:fromundisciplinaritytodisruptive

Towardsdisruptivedesignerthroughundisciplinededucation?

Isitpossibletouseanundisciplineddesignteachingprocessesinordertotraindesignermoreandmoreabletobedisruptive?

‐Canweleadstudents,stimulatinganundisciplinedattitude,tobecomedisruptive?

‐Innotinnate,canacodiIied(thereforetransmissible)undisciplinedattitudeinthedesigneducationprocessesbeinducedinthestudents?

‐ Canwe,disruptingtheteachingprocessitself,educatestudentstobedisruptive?

‐ Canwecodifyanundisciplinedapproach?It’snotaparadox?

Educatingthrough/toDisruption|Celaschi,Formia,Lupo|4november2011 3

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Disruption

Theconceptofdisruptionisstilldisputedwithinthedesigncommunity:itcomesfrombusiness(“openinnovation”,Chesbrough,2003)andtechnologyliterature(fromChristensen,1997toWilliams,2011)

“Aninnovationthatcreatesanewmarketbyapplyingadifferentsetofvalues,whichultimately(andunexpectedly)overtakesanexistingmarket”


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time

perform

ance

Mediumqualityinuse

Sustaininginnovation(improvements)

disruptiveinnovation

disruptionasundisciplinedattitudeineducation

theparadigmof“disruption”becomes,atthesametime,content(howtomanagea“disruptive”process)andobjective(howtoobtaina“disruptive”result)ofthedidacticofdesign.

Ourhypothesis:asetofpossible“triggeringactions”oftheeducationalprocess,alreadyexperimentedandborrowedfromotherdesigndomains(product,production,enterprises,market…)

underthestatementof“rulesdisobeyingordischarging”:‐ Technical‐functionalrules;‐ Socio‐economicalrules;‐ Aestheticrules


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possiblerulesdisobeyinganddischargingtobeappliedindesignlearning


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UNDISCIPLINEDPROCESS

UNDISCIPLINEDRESULT

howtomanageadisruptiveprocess

howtoobtainadisruptiveresult

designoutofcontexttransgressionoftecniques

transgressionoftheuseofmaterials

transgressionoftheaestheticrules

technicalfunctional socioeconomical aestheticrules

transgressionoftheunicityofthework

transgressionoftheauthorialityofthework(design2.0,postproduction)invertthe

linearityoftheprocess(“startwiththeend”)

fragmenttheprocess

transgressionoftheergonomicrules

Shapethemeaningtothenotexistent(Reys,2011)

discharganyprocess



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UNDISCIPLINEDPROCESS

howtomanageadisruptiveprocess


CadavreexquisPic.byManRay,JoanMiró,MaxMoriseandYvesTanguy

ConSequenzehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AFSNaNEwU

transgressionoftheauthorialityofthework(design2.0,postproduction)invertthe

linearityoftheprocess(“startwiththeend”)

fragmenttheprocess

Shapethemeaningtothenotexistent(Reys,2011)

discharganyprocess



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UNDISCIPLINEDRESULT


todesignoutofcontexttransgressionoftecniques








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UNDISCIPLINEDRESULT


todesignoutofcontexttransgressionoftecniques






FinalSynthesisdesignstudioinProductdesign

Againstgravityrules

Againstperfectionrules

conclusions

“Triggeringactions”fordusruptingthelearningdesignprocess

Providingasetof“undisciplinedrulesdisobeying”thatcantriggerthedisruptionofthelearningprocess,inordertoeducatemoredisruptivedesigners


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conclusions

“Triggeringactions”fordusruptingthelearningdesignprocess

Providingasetof“undisciplinedrulesdisobeying”thatcantriggerthedisruptionofthelearningprocess,inordertoeducatemoredisruptivedesigners…

Infact:puttinginquestiontherulesofdesigning,whiledoingandteachingdesign.


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“Personally,Iamlessconcernedabouthowwe,asindividualfacultymember,willfareinthefuturethaninhowwewillprepareanewgenerationofstudentswhowillunderstandthelegacyofdesignandrisetothechallengeofthenewlearning”RichardBuchanan,1999

Thanks

FlavianoCelaschi,ElenaFormia,EleonoraLupoPolitecnicodiMilano,PolitecnicodiTorino

3rdInternationalForumofDesignasaProcess

3‐5November2011,Torino

Documents

Educating through/to disruption