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CONTEXTUAL DESIGN

Products, the contexts in which they function, and the relationships with people they imply, act as meaningful markers of an era. This is why they merit sound research and the views of creative, critical designers who dare to look beyond the boundaries of their discipline.

Central to the Contextual Design programme is the research into the cultural and social meanings attached to products and contexts that have developed over time. Some contexts and aims demand a strong authorship from a designer, a role that may touch upon that of a visual artist. Others may demand intensive collaborations, for example with colleague-designers, scientific researchers, or architects. Some aimed-for results demand an understanding of craftsmanship or a deep understanding of how tomorrow's industry will work. Other goals demand research into the very tools to create design, or an understanding of how design strategies and tactics may be developed.

Critical questions will be addressed such as 'what is design', 'what is functionality’, 'which role can a designer take on within a specific context (cultural, social, local, global)?' Apart from making skills it takes analytical skills, ethical awareness and a sense of aesthetics - skills that the students will develop during their master course at Design Academy Eindhoven.

Head of department: Louise Schouwenberg

MENTORS AND LECTURERS RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

Team 2012-2013: Contextual Design works with a pool of changing (guest)tutors, each of them experts within specific domains. In 2012-13 the following people are involved in the programme: 
Gijs Assmann (artist), Simon Davies (graphic designer), Mikel van Gelderen (architect), Edith Gruson (graphic designer), Koen Kleijn (theorist), Jan Konings (designer), Rianne Makkink (architect/designer), Vincent de Rijk (designer), Louise Schouwenberg (theorist), Herman Verkerk (architect), Barbara Visser (artist), and others.

Pool of tutors: Apart from the above mentioned, over the past few years the following people have been involved in this programme, and might be involved again in the next years:
 Maarten Baas (designer), Gijs Bakker (designer), Cornel Bierens (artist and theorist), Guus Beumer (director of The New Institute, Rotterdam), Scott Burnham (design researcher), Joost Grootens (architectural and graphic designer), Bart Guldemond (designer), Ni Haifeng (artist), Hansje van Halem (graphic designer), Ineke Hans (designer), Hella Jongerius (designer), Chris Kabel (designer), Vinca Kruk (graphic designer), Joris Laarman (designer), Sofie Lachaert (jewel designer and gallerist), Jeroen van Mastrigt (researcher art & technology), Mario Minale (designer), Ted Noten (jewel designer), Oana Rades (architect), Ronald Rietveld (landscape architect), Jerszy Seymour (designer), Wieki Somers (designer), Gert Staal (theorist), Dries Verbruggen (designer)

Former students
Former students include Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin (Formafantasma), Katharina Mischer & Thomas Traxler (mischer'traxler), Tuomas Tolvanen (Studio Markunpoika), Alicia Ongay Perez, Tamar Shafrir, Thomas Vailly, Hsiang Ching Chuang, Mike Thompson, Joana Meroz, Hung Pin Hsueh, Sonja Bäumel, Maurizio Montalti, Tal Erez, and many others.

More information can be found on: http://masters.designacademy.nl/  (website Masters until 2010. Notice: in 2010 the name IM changed into Contextual Design)