KASK / School of Arts Ghent and Mesh vzw
offers an 11-week course in Open Design for refugees, asylum seekers and “sans papiers” currently staying in Belgium. The course will start at September 05, 2022 and ends November 22, 2022.
The program focuses on Open Design as a technological and as a cultural, artistic and critical practice. The course method is based on co-creation and peer learning, and puts an emphasis on new media literacy.
The course accepts a maximum of 15 participants. Candidates should apply by sending some background information about themselves (see APPLY). Our common language is English. There is no tuition fee, participation is free of charge. We can support your travel expenses to the course and also the lunch between morning and afternoon classes is covered by the course.
Open Design Course Program
WEEK 01
We get to know each other, the program, get to know our tools, What
Open Design is or could be, and explore design methodologies
collectively.
WEEK 02
This week we use the Raspberry Pi as a tool to explore physical computing and what we can do with it. Connect to it, command line, notion and python.
WEEK 03
Pixels and Vectors, we discover tools to vectorise ideas and identities.
WEEK 04
What is 3D? Together with FormLab we examine 3D, How do we scan an object, modify it and bring it back to the physical world.
WEEK 05
The web and beyond, here we explore what lives on the web and quickly dive into the world of coding, this starting with html, css to animation and how to connect with a server.
WEEK 06
The web and beyond, here we explore what lives on the web and quickly dive into the world of coding, this starting with html, css to animation and how to connect with a server.
WEEK 07 & 10
We finalize and go deeper into what you want to explore with a project. It can be Web, 3D, Raspberry Pi, the Scan or a sketch or everything together.
WEEK 11
WE share our work in progress that was developed during the course in an Open Lab.
We will update the full program in detail end of August.
THEORY AND PRACTICE
This intensive course will provide practical and theoretical competencies, and aims at a higher education learning level. It offers a broad and general overview of Open Design as a contemporary sociotechnical phenomenon, and facilitates individualised indepth and practice based learning of specific Open Design strategies and tactics. The course requires participants to attend classes 3 days per week.
ART, INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
The course will theoretically and conceptually contextualize Open Design as an innovation practice and as a practice of artistic expression, as well as a practice of civic engagement.
This course will introduce and discuss a broad spectrum of tools and methods and their underlying narratives. For this, Open Design is approached as a possible basis for various related fields in art and design. You will explore examples from participatory design, social design, critical design, speculative design and experimental media art (art and technology, art and activism, bio-art…).
OPEN TOOLS
Introductions are offered in free and open source software tools (for networked communication, media creation and digital modelling) as well as open hardware and digital fabrication tools (Raspberry Pi, Arduino, 3D printing, laser-cutting). You will experiment with these tools and learn to implement them in your own design and creation process.
SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
In order to establish an interesting, valuable and unique learning environment, candidates are selected based on a carefully managed admission process. This process does not only try to identify skills and knowledge, but will also focus on your ability to share your expertise with others.