dreamscapes

 

Today we were interviewed by the ethnography students about our reasons for being here – our real reasons. Their brief was to draw out the deeper dreams and aspirations that motivate us through appropriate interviewing techniques.  In a very short time they had to move quickly from general ice-breaker questions (where do you live, what is your background), to more imaginative questions that would provoke more insightful answers.  After the interviews were finished we spent a short time discussing how we had found the experience, then we swapped roles. 

The next part of the afternoon saw us creating Dreamscapes: working quickly in teams to physically manifest something that could symbolise our dreams and experiences.  Ransacking the chaotic studio we grabbed anything we thought could be useful. Hmm...  just what can you make with a pile of rubbish bins and some party poppers? Overall I was moved by peoples motivations and felt the exercise had gone a long way in showing us what we have in common - very inspiring.

Sarah

new beginnings

First day of the Master of Design programme and we’re standing at the brink; it’s just a question of whether we jump or wait for a shove. 

I was struck by how far some students have travelled to be here. And how much many are prepared to sacrifice. It was a refreshing view of the place where I have spent most waking hours over the past four years. So we had a whistle-stop tour of DJCAD – I really feel for students new to the building, after all this time here I can still get lost. We made ourselves at home in the new studio, said goodbye to the old cantina and hello to the new ‘streamlined’ service.

Together with our sister course Design Ethnography, we were introduced to some playful techniques to extract some juicy information about each other (or was that too much information?) The day ended with a fight over The Guardian that revealed the competitive nature of the students, though I think any injuries sustained were minor.

Sarah