CASE STUDY PRESENTATION
Assessment Brief: Prepare a 10-minute audiovisual presentation of a selected design or designer within
the thematic of Assessment Task 1. Hand in a 1,000-word summary supplemented with visual supports
from the audiovisual presentation.
-this is a case study and need 10-minute audiovisual presentation (powerpoint)
-1,000-word summary supplemented with visual supports from the audiovisual presentation
Four Themes of Feral Experimental
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The Feral Experimental Exhibition explains four major themes with different designers. It
describes the theme and its designs, its impact to others and to the designer, and the broader
issues that are addressed through the design. These are: the speculative design, participatory
design, interaction design, and the co-design.
The speculative design process does not necessary design specifically a problem to be
solved (Galeffi, 2009). It instead establishes a starting point that is provocative from which the
design process may emerge. An example of this from the Feral experiment is the, ‘Avena+ Test
Bed: Agricultural Printing and Altered Landscapes’. This is a speculative design that investigates
the opportunity of agricultural printing.
Participatory design was originally known as the Cooperative design (Co-design)
(Karakas, 2011). This design attempts to actively involve stakeholders in their design process so
as to make the results usable. The stakeholders in this case may be the employees, citizens,
customers, partners and the end users (Steen, 2013). An example of this design from the feral
Experiment Exhibition is the ‘Design-Anthropological Innovation Model (DAIM)’. This model
investigated how users are driven to recycling services and waste disposals.
Interaction Design, just like the other fields of design, has an interest in form but it
focuses mainly on behavior. It designs systems, services, interactive digital products and
environments (Karakas, 2011). It actually shapes the digital environment for people’s use. An
example of this from the Feral Experiment exhibition is ‘Circus Oz Living Archive’. This design
celebrates rehearsals, performances and adverts of the Circus Oz.
Exploratory Experimental Design is a type of design that is conducted on a research
problem when there is no reference to any earlier studies that was conducted. Its main focus is to
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gain insights and familiarize in case of future investigations. An example from the Feral
Experimental is, ‘If We Meet Again’. This is a film that is screened on two different screens that
explores the narratives and fantasies about the interactions with the design.
The Kindred Spirits
Kindred Spirits is a fictions co-design research project developed together with the
people of the drug rehabilitation clinic in Netherlands called the Mistral in The Hague (Matisoff
& Edwards, 2014). It was designed by Susana CamaraLeret. It became part of the G-Motiv
which was a large scale research project funded by the government in the Creative Industry
Scientific Research Program (CRISP). This project gives a clear view of an imaginary clinical
setting resided by the hybrid companion creatures that shows their habitual behavior. Kindred
Spirits however is a term that explains someone who shares the attitudes, features, beliefs and
feelings only with oneself.
Kindred spirits had two series: a crustacean with claws and a trumpet-like creature.
Listening to the crustacean is quite relaxing since it induces alpha brainwaves from its released
frequencies. This brainwaves helps in relaxing the brain. The trumpet-like creature, on the other
hand, lies and listens to conversations. It has a high sense of smell and it is also full of nerve
endings in the tail. The smell releases mood that blocks the olfactory receptors thus influences
mood and makes one to talk.
Designer’s Argument about Kindred Spirits
Susana Camara Leret describes the 3D printed creatures of the kindred Spirits as
companion creatures. These species can be introduced to the ecosystem of the clinic and perform
the acquired obsessions, compulsions and behaviors on the Mistral clients’ behalf. These
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creatures as described by Camara Leret, could be a beneficial influence to the health centers
alienating environment. For example, at Mistral in The Hague, residents spend most of their time
at the living room (Young, DeLorenzi& Cunningham, 2011). A patient then says that the noise
that comes from there at times may be too loud such that one could not hear his or her own mind.
The first Kindred Spirit was inspired by the patient’s comment. This was a crustacean that had
claws functioning like earphones (Matisoff & Edwards, 2014). These earphones transmitted
frequency that induced ones meditative state of mind. The comment of Berend Hofman also
inspired the co-creation of the trumpet like creature.
Technology claims human as its own. Susana Camara Leret question what happens about
this. She however evolves into digital extensions of people with acquired obsessions. This
informs about the interactions and designs our own evolution.
Others Argument about Kindred Spirits
Clients share their stories evoked about the Smell memory kit and the smell exercises is
now included with the mistral in their patient intake procedure because of how their new
residents reflected on how to change their behavior.
Issues Addressed through the Design
Kindred spirits is an interaction between the ordinary and the fantastic needs. This project
balances the actual needs and the imagined desires. It also builds on experiences in order to
encourage the contemplation of alternatives in future. This design engages participants in the
change of behavior especially in the addiction therapy context. It mainly addresses young drug
addicts.
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Lessons Learnt from the Kindred Spirits Design
Kindred Spirits is a piece of memory. It relaxes the mind and makes one able to talk by
influencing mood. It contributes in the understanding and the creation of strategic roles for
designers in several ways. First, designers have to play a role in solving complex problems. This
is where the design comes in. It allows them to have capable skills to create solutions. Secondly,
a creative economy will be more competitive if people can know the importance of the strategic
role design. Designers will benefits from this and the society will be more flexible. Aside from
that, the strategic designers have to create new perspectives with a new medium. They have to
design kits related to their smelling capabilities just like the smell memory kit. This kit opened
doors to engaging with tentative results that brings more about the future that was not previously
imagined. This design contributes more to strategic designers in many ways.
This design looks specifically to young drug addicts and how smelling can aid in their
treatment. It explains how smelling helps in storytelling and especially about their past
experiences.
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References
Galeffi, A 2009, ‘Biographical and Cataloguing Common Ground: Panizzi and Lubetzky,
Kindred Spirits Separated by a Century’, Library & Information History, 25, 4, pp. 227-
246.
Karakas, F 2011, ‘Positive Management Education: Creating Creative Minds, Passionate Hearts,
and Kindred Spirits’, Journal Of Management Education, 35, 2, pp. 198-226.
Matisoff, D, & Edwards, J 2014, ‘Kindred spirits or intergovernmental competition? The
innovation and diffusion of energy policies in the American states (1990–2008)’,
Environmental Politics, 23, 5, pp. 795-817.
Steen, M, Arendsen, J, Cremers, A, De Jong, A, De Jong, J, & De Koning, N 2013, ‘Using
interactive model simulations in co-design: An experiment in urban design’, Codesign, 9,
1, pp. 2-16.
Young, M, DeLorenzi, L, & Cunningham, L 2011, ‘Using Meditation in Addiction Counseling’,
Journal Of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 32, 1/2, pp. 58-71.
