Saturday, April 11, 2009

Why Not [Here] No. 1 - 'Collaging' Innovation...

This is the initial instalment of the 'Why Not [Here]', or 'Why Not [Us]' rants... This numbered series of polemic sound-offs aim to provide short, biting, snippets of, usually quite impulsive, reactions to notions we come across that relate to issues done, or things we think should be done, in Kuwait to clarify, improve or even solve various topics we find of interest or relevance. These will usually be design related (here the term 'design' is considered in the widest sense of the term), however this link might occasionally be tenuous, but that OK, as long as opinions are provided and justified...
This initial 'blog-frolic' deals with inspiring research done elsewhere (at MIT), which we think is the type of research that should be done, both in spirit and implementation, here in Kuwait...

Why Not [Here] No. 1 - 'Collaging' Innovation...

The TED clip below introduces an update to some of the ideas initially introduced by Jeff Han a few years back. This type of touch based GUI, sometimes referred to as Minority Report type control panels (after the sci-fi movie starting Tom Cruise), has by now become much more common and familiar thanks to the i-phone and other similar contraptions. In it Dr. Pattie Maes, and some members from the Fluid Interfaces Group, present not only an updated rendition of the aforementioned touch based interface, but also suggest new ways for how such devices could be adapted to fulfil a number of additional functions.



What makes the device described in this clip so remarkable is the, almost ad-hoc, way it has been put together, with all its components being 'off the shelf', pre-existing pieces of technology (only about 350 Dollars worth) which, in conjunction with a fair bit of very perceptive and innovative assembly and programming, has resulted in something quite impressive. What's also striking is how this project seems to feed off a number of different, often separate, disciplines - engineering, computer science, interaction design, industrial design, etc.

This type of design, research and exploration should be done in Kuwait, there is no reason why it couldn't. The foundations are already being laid, with the Department of Architecture and the Department of Art & Design at Kuwait University being combined into a new College, scheduled to take place in 2010. This is probably also the only institution of higher-education where related pursuits can take place, as the private universities in Kuwait are, in their current capacities, too small (and perhaps too focused on more 'profitable' popular courses) to conduct such research. What becomes imperative in the set-up of this new college will be how it is organized both in approach and practice. Some form of hybrid approach similar to how the departments are interlinked at MIT's School of Architecture and Planning could be used as a model, where a number of disciplines work, if not necessarily under the same roof, nevertheless within the same extended 'embrace' of the University and its fellow institutions (such as Harvard). There are a few additional precedents, both in this instance London based, that could also be used as templates for how such aims could be logistically achieved.

The Architectural Association (the AA), the UK's oldest architectural school, has a unique system referred to as the 'Unit System' according to which most of its programmes are structured. Here only a few courses, such as technical studies and general studies (the latter which are elective), are common to all architectural students. Instead of having the each year's student population divided into studios, as is usually the case in most architectural schools, the students have a chance to choose which school of (architectural) thought they have most affinity with. At the beginning of each academic year, the (usually two) tutors of each 'Unit' present their particular programme or theme for pursuing an architectural discourse that year. These might range, say, from very hands-on Units that build something at a 1:1 scale, to Units which only do computer scripting (most Units usually establish some form of a middle-ground). These 'Unit Presentations', as they are called, usually last a day or two, after which the students have to provide a first and second choices for which Unit they would wish to join. The Unit presentations are followed by a day of intense interviews where the final Unit set-ups are decided (consistent of usually 10 to 15 students each). They pursue the aims of their chosen Unit throughout the academic year and present their findings and work at the End-of-the-Year Show which, at the AA, is open to the public most of the Summer.
This approach has been successful enough to have been adapted by most London based architectural schools.

Another example, and perhaps one that would be easier to adapt in Kuwait, is the set-up according to which the Royal College of Art (the RCA) has been organized. Here a number of different subjects, even though functioning as separate programmes, nevertheless take place under the same roof and share workshops and communal areas (cafes, libraries, etc.). They also allow, even encourage, cross-fertilization between each student's main discipline and other branches of studies.

What these approaches have in common is an emphasis on allowing individuals to pursue interests and fields of knowledge beyond their range of specialization, and even encourage them to work and discover things from beyond their usual comfort zone. This blending, (or 'collaging') and occasionally even clashing, of ideas is a great way to test the validity of a proposal, and to develop approaches that benefit from know-how outside ones usual paradigm of though. It is also an essential component in innovation.

Kuwait is a financially wealthy nation, why not aim to make it also one rich on a cultural level? Particularly considering that these two strands of 'wealth' usually develop hand-in-hand...

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