86530 Design Studio: Knowledge Spaces

Description

... It is no coincidence that the word ‘curator’ is etymologically related to ‘cure’: to curate is to cure. Curating cures the powerlessness of the image, its inability to show itself by itself. Exhibition practice is thus the cure that heals the originally ailing image that gives it presence, visibility; it brings it to the public view and turns it into the object of the public’s judgment (Groys 2009). This Studio focuses on the interior design of Knowledge spaces, including Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Learning spaces. The Design Studio is driven concurrently from a design and a curatorial position and involves a research component, a written component and a significant design and documentation component.

The scale of engagement varies (depending on the studio leader) from built-in furniture scale detailing (for example, in an archive) to biennale scale exhibitions involving multiple interventions across various sites. The Studio foregrounds individual student research as a driver for the design of interior space and form. It is focused on the adaptive reuse of existing buildings to create knowledge spaces rather than creating new architectural objects. The interior focus of the Studio highlights narrative structures, spatial narrative, circulation patterns, planning, light, materials, colour, technology, detail and display strategies as integrated design components. In addition, the design studio addresses pragmatic concerns, including; sustainable practice, accessibility, safety, cultural awareness and heritage concerns.