We are writing to you with details on our Fall 2022 Session 1 Studios. Below, you will find a brief summary of our studio offerings. 

Making Sense of Design 

In this studio, students will explore memories and the artifacts that manifest their memories in order to create devices that communicate and share formative personal stories of the past. Structurally, the studio will be partitioned into three modules, each one week in length. Part I will give students the opportunity to dissect and analyze found objects with unknown histories, unveiling a complex understanding of the artifact through technical representation and creative storytelling. In Part II, students will utilize these newly developed design skills to interpret abstract understandings of short stories and personal narratives, resulting in a series of moodboards, drawings, material studies, and crafted 3D models. Finally, in Part III, students will synthesize their understanding of the creative process through the design and fabrication of a “memory vessel,” a device that embodies and ritualizes a past experience.

Computing in the Community 1.0

In this studio, students will consider the role they play in their communities at several levels and will develop mobile/web applications that target a community-specific goal that leverages their role as a student in a digitally connected ecosystem. Throughout this studio, students will investigate and discuss precedents in a range of community-oriented topics: urban planning, community initiatives, civil budgets, etc. Students will seek to understand what technical interventions exist within this space and how they can create projects which advance community projects using the web. 

Adaptive Play

In this studio, students will study how the art of play impacts the way children develop necessary physical and cognitive skills in order to develop Montessori Method-inspired toys that grow alongside the child and adapt in their playability to promote sustainable practices. Students will engage in an accelerated iterative design process inspired by the partnership NuVu has with the Cambridge Montessori School by engaging in focus group interviews and revisiting for user playtesting of prototypes. As a final product, these toy designers will develop not only fully-fledged prototypes but also accurate plans for the manufacture and scalability of their toys.