WHAT IS THE OPEN DESIGN COURSE?
Mesh vzw and KASK / School of Arts Ghent 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.
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.
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.
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.
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…).
LEARNING TOGETHER
The methodological approach of the programme is based on peer learning and co-creation. We strongly believe in embedding the core principles of Open Design into the very structure of the programme. Students are expected to bring their own knowledge and skills to the course, and engage thoroughly in sharing and collaborating with each other. For this approach of cooperative learning we seek to create a group of students maximising complementary expertise and creative talent, bringing together basic and highly specialised skills.
EVALUATION
Final evaluation of the candidates is based on self-assessment. You will be evaluating your own and your fellow participants’ achievements. Moreover you will be asked to evaluate the course and help us refine it for future candidates.
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.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Please note that this is not an officially accredited course programme. Participants do receive a Certificate of Completion, but for now this is not related to an official degree.
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
We foresee a wide range of possible outcomes which can include: media creations or publications (books, magazines/editions, texts, videos, audio-works posters,… ), digital creations (websites, apps, software), interactive objects or installations, speculative design (objects, prototypes, visualisations), social design (participatory performances, situations, events).
There is much more, and this is really up to you.