International Workshop 1999

The design-workshop Stone & Steel

Students of the two Departments of Industrial Design of the
Universidade Lusófona in Lisbon / Portugal and of the
University of Kassel / Germany, engaged in an intensive two week
design-workshop, designing furniture and objects using stone
and steel as the basic materials. The objective was to design
"light-weight" objects.

"light-weight"

To design "light-weight" objects with stone and steel is a contra-
diction in itself. Obviously there are no well defined and easy
answers to such a task.
The contradiction expressed by the phrase "light-weight in
stone and steel" creates an unfamiliar situation which is difficult
to master and which can not be resolved by the application of
standard routines.

From Ideas to Prototypes Generate ideas, develop concepts, and try to carry
them to the status of prototypes. If this is not possible for various reasons,
use mock ups or medium and small scale models to demonstrate Your ideas.
Remember: The process of designing objects is concerned with finding
representations for ideas in three dimensions.

Setting

It was considered important to the workshop to have:

• a quiet setting removed from the one of daily routine

• a large enough working space with most of the tools and materials
   needed close at hand

• an opportunity to get help and external advice on the prototypes
   from local firms and local experts

• local firms, willing to sponsor prototypes in the area of
   their expertise

• the possibility to present and exhibit the final results in an
   adequate academic setting

• effective means to keep the cost to the participating students
   to an affordable level

• an overall environment allowing and supporting creative processes
   and group dynamics.

Design is an activity.

It produces a plan, which, if carried through will bring about a
situation. But, unfortunately, most, if not all plans also produce
undesired, unwanted and/or unforeseeable side-effects and aftereffects.
Besides claiming the laurels for the desired effects, the designer is also
respon-sible for the undesired, unwanted, unforeseeable effects.

"Making Design" versus "Learning how to design"

The goal is not: "Making Design" but rather: "Learning how to design"
The difference is important. It puts the results of the workshop into
its own frame of reference. What the students have produced is still
far away from a design product, but in each case we can see roads
toward such a product.

October 1999

Prof. Dr. Hans Dehlinger