As part of MIT’s 150th anniversary I was invited to run a workshop on experimental pedagogy for the first year Graduate Architecture program. It was split into three exercises over a 5 week period.
This workshop introduces students to the concept of character and expression through the design, development, and construction of a full-scale interactive object. The challenge being amplify empathy between public visitors and matter. The resulting artifact/sculpture/space will convey the expression chosen/discovered unto itself, but the ultimate goal is to gain the understanding of the spirit of the thing through interaction and experience. Students will be introduced to an emergent making process or making through play guided by their curiosity, intuition, and the inherent qualities of material chosen. This process will be an iterative one, challenging the students to discover ideas through three-dimensional sketching and the direct manipulation of material, creating a conversation between both the student and the sketch. This path will lead them to discover spirit, energy, and character not only in the material, but also the idea that will be translated and understood through the interactions. Students will breathe life into inorganic matter.