The University of Nicosia Research Foundation invites you to the “Designerly Ways of Thinking: Makerspaces and Artistic Practices” Phygital Workshop, regarding design thinking for non-designers.
Over the past two decades the problem-solving approach, that designers adopt in order to address business, administrative and social challenges, has gained in popularity outside of professional design. In recent years, though, critical discussions have also emerged. In this one-day workshop we will explore the designer’s thought-process through case studies and real-world applications. We will cover the basic steps of the human-centered design process that “starts with the people we are designing for and ends with new solutions that directly address their needs” (Kimbell, 2011). We will explore strategies and techniques that help multidisciplinary teams to work together and generate creative ideas. The workshop invites people with a creative background to cross over the common borders that divide disciplines such as art, design and technology. By using designerly ways of thinking, participants will be introduced to a problem-solving process that draws on future scenarios rather than accepting things as they are. They will have a hands-on experience through practical exercises and the opportunity to apply this new knowledge on a real-life design challenge. The latter will seek to inform the appropriation by artists and the local community of the newly established Lakatamia Makerspace.
Niki Sioki teaches design and does research in graphic design and printing history. She is particularly interested in the role of design in culture. She has worked for many years in book publishing.
For registrations:
T: 22842650 | E: [email protected]
Phygital Project
Phygital is an Interreg V 2014-2020 BalkanMed, EU-funded programme being implemented in Greece, Albania and Cyprus and involves the development of makerspaces – one in each country – that will work with the local community. In Cyprus, the project’s work is being carried out by the University of Nicosia Research Centre in collaboration with the Municipality of Lakatamia/hack66 and will focus on social art practices exploring the melding of open technology, art and design. The project operates on the basis of the ‘design global – manufacture local’ model which introduces innovative organisational and business patterns allowing an unprecedented booming of communities engaged in do-it-yourself (DIY) activities. It wishes to support and enhance these local capacities for innovation and utilise the opportunities the decentralised modes of production can create. The Cyprus section of the project examines the importance of makerspace culture in the advancement of contemporary social art and design practices. It delves into the principles of open source projects, software-hardware freedom and bottom-up collaborative structures to explore ways they can be utilised – in line with social art/design practices – to address the needs of the local community.
