2011 Transdisciplinary Project with Fabrica, Phase 01

Looking Back, Designing Forward: Multidisciplinary design expressions inspired by past and future advancements of humanity between 2000-2020.

This course was a special project developed in conjunction with RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies (Rochester, USA) and FABRICA, The Benetton Group Communication Research Center (Treviso, Italy).

The project engaged students and faculty from the areas of graphic, industrial and interaction design, photography and video of both institutes.

LBDF wanted to celebrate humanity’s past and future strive for advancement. Students created art/design pieces of evolutionary, thought-provoking potential. This project called for “artifacts” of creative and critical commentary. It was an invitation to create social, cultural, scientific, economical, political and environmental statements positively commenting humanity’s highest advancements from the near past and future. These expressions became an exhibition that engaged the broad public in our artistic celebration. The objective was NOT to design functional products for the market. It generated ideas for thought and discussion.

Phase 01
This phase investigated the past decade focusing on global and local societies’ major advancements (trends, events, people, discoveries). Students individually created graphic artifacts (2D print-based only, 100x140cm.) that took inspiration, shed a new light, and celebrated the advancements that have positively evolved humanity from 2000 to 2010.

Photography: Elizabeth Lamark

eLEGS

Terra McAndrew



I chose eLEGS because of the monumental impact they could have on paraplegics. The ability to stand and walk around is a very valuable and often taken for granted, people who have been paralyzed lose this important ability and become trapped in a wheel chair. Being paralyzed is both physically and mentally stressful. eLEGS brings hope and possibility to the lives of paraplegics with the potential of walking again. I chose to emphasize the interesting aesthetic of the robotic exoskeleton and accentuate the beauty of the mechanism while also emphasizing the beauty of people regaining their ability to walk. The poster shows off eLEGS on a fashion model and portrays them as a high fashion accessory instead of a device to help with a disability. eLEGS are about empowerment, not disability.

WI-FI

Sunyoung Kim



I chose WI-FI as my topic. These days, everything is changing so fast. Sometimes, technology just disappears or it comes out in ways people don't know. In the late 1980's, several companies, including Proxim, Symbol and so on, tried to introduce Wi-Fi in America, but it failed. Wi-Fi has come into wide use since 1999. The period from 2000 to 2010 is considered to be a remarkable period in the development of Wi-Fi, because its usage increased so drastically. Now you can use Wi-Fi everywhere and it is important to our lives and has become essential to aspect to the modern lifestyle. These are two reason why I want to talk about this invention.



First of all, Wi-Fi gives positive effects to us. By using Wi-Fi, people can enjoy their lives in their free time. Also, people can communicate with other people easily. By using Wi-Fi, people can contact others internationally.



Finally, we can reduce e-waste by using Wi-Fi, for Wi-Fi does not need to use wires. Also, people can access Wi-Fi without purchasing an extra device. Thus, we can save more energy and resources by using Wi-Fi.



For these reasons, I want to describe the positive impact of Wi-Fi. Also, I want to show people how Wi-Fi removes borders and unifies the world.

Human Computer Interaction

Mi_Hee Hong



These days there are many ways to interact between users and computers by developing technology of input systems. Touch-input systems are one example of input systems to input information, as well as voice recognition.



The traditional way is executed by typing on keyboards and clicking a mouse. However, HCI has radically improved in the past decade. Now a person can input into technology differently. Computers can perceive motion of touch and physical movement. These interactions are captured with sensors and used as input systems. Through this method, people's experience with computers or game consoles can be more dynamic and immersive.

Changing Social View about Homosexuality

Kejia Liu



Homosexuality is romantic and/or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community others who hare them."



The consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality is a normal and positive variation in human sexual orientation. During the last decade, I believe a great change happened to the social view of homosexuality. Ten years ago, people were not really aware about the existence of homosexuality and even considered it against nature. Therefore few people admitted homosexuals' rights and freedoms. But during this ten years, more and more homosexuals stand out and claim their existence; they dared to dress different and present themselves to the world. More and more people are starting to consider their behavior through objective perspective and emotional aspects to understand the situation and accept their way of life.



Homosexuality is not considered against nature anymore, it is often considered nature. Those people who are looking for happiness and true love share same experience with others. What's more, nowadays some homosexuals stand up to claim their love and build a family just like others. To have a fmaily and live a life with happiness is the most beautiful thing in the world. This image through the family perspective to represents the beautiful picture of this big change.

Stem Cell Research

Kristin McGeorge



The use of embryonic stem cells in research has been a hot topic in both the government and social circles. There are usually two sides to this argument, the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers, debating over how much federal funding should support an issue that has so many moral and ethical issues. Within the last decade there has been a steady increase in federal funding in the research of using stem cells to help find cures for cancers and other deadly diseases along with other methods or creating stem cells from fully matured skin cells and amniotic fluid. Basically allowing for research to continue with stem cells without the battle between opposing opinions on the subject. For this reason I have decided to focus my area of study on the advancement in stem cell technology in the las decade.

Robotic Prosthetics

Dan Rucker



Cognitively, children perceive themselves differently than e do as adults. They dream and imagine things to be reality that could never be possible. Some children are burdened with the frustration attached with missing a limb. Previously, these children were forced to navigate through the confusing and overwhelming situations that their deficit presents to them. The first implementation of a robo prosthetic on a child was a groundbreaking gateway into new scientific ventures, but more importantly this advancement was able to restore the positive spirit within the recipient. The child is given the gift of full mobility similar to normal behaviors in children. Through the use of technological advancements in robotics, we are now able to provide the normality that every child deserves.

Freedom of Expression

Cong Yao



On October 8, 2010 the nobel Committee awarded Liu Xiaobo the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize "for his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." The Nobel Peace Prize plays a significant improving role on speech freedom and writing freedom all over the world especially in developing countries.

Growth of Eco Cities

Claire Eckstrom



The National Center for Urban Restoration Ecology states, this past decade marks humanity's transformation into an urban species - for the first time, more people live in cities than rural areas.



A sustainable city, or eco-city is a city designed with consideration of environmental impact, inhabited by people dedicated to minimization of required inputs of energy, water and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution, CO2, methane, and water pollution. In addition, eco-cities strive to be self-sustainable by reducing reliance on the surrounding countryside.



By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today.



Firms working in the Middle and Far East are the vanguard of what is "new town" eco-city design. This strategy is not ideal for the US since major cities are already built. Instead, US cities must "retro-fit" sustainable infrastructure into existing urban fabric.

The End of COPY in China

Chen An



Knock-offs in the last decade were very popular in China, and have even become a culture. People see it, hear it, talk about it and use it everyday. Some of the people think it is a negative phenomenon, but objectively speaking, the existence is possible, especially since it exists in such a hugh scope and has become accepted by such a lot of people. Actually, it is not only a problem in China. Japan, Korea and even the USA had the same experience before, and all of these countries had the same characteristic then - Rapid Development which is the same as nowadays China. And now, I think it is a best time to finish copying and start a new era of design in China.

YouTube

Brian Madden



The online video-sharing community YouTube has emerged as an inherent part of contemporary culture since its establishment in 2005. It has revolutionized the way information is disseminated throughout the world and has provided a means for the "underdog" to have a commanding voice. Youtube is a digital soapbox that allows users to project beyond the street corner. It fosters a sense community around themes ranging from the most monumental social causes to the most common concerns. The ease if submitting and viewing content promotes a sense of democratic participation and knowledge flows freely as viewership grows. According to YouTube, 35 hours of videos are uploaded to the site every minute and three quarters of all content is from outside the United States.

Genderless

Boran Song



The genderless mind, is not really genderless; instead it is the mind that defies societal conventions of gender roles and mixes the characteristics of the two genders, Nowadays, our impression is changing with the development of our society. Male or female? If we break the boundary, we will be the same person. We wish that there is no sex discrimination. We all need equality.



If we peeled off the skin of gender, We would be totally the same person. Walking the street, Going about out daily business, loving and being loved.

Female Presidents

Becky Chia-Chen Lee



There have been around 28 female presidents in the past decade, excluding the acting and interim presidents. The amount has multiplied a great deal compared to past decades. Most female presidents are in South America, Western and Northern Europe, Oceania, and several are in Asia. Most of them are the first women presidents in their countries. People tend to vote or choose a female as their leader which implies gender equality in society is yet to come.