Hasta La Ideas

Wunderkammer of Ideas event Domus Academy NABA campus. Image courtesy of the Domus Academy

Reporting by Marcia Caines

Almost everything starts with an idea. The idea of finding solutions to the crisis in education inside a cabinet of curiosities may seem far-fetched, but it’s ‘ideas’ that count: the light bulb moment, the spark. The Wunderkammer of Ideas Seminar, which took place on May 30 2013, was conceived by Gianluigi Ricuperati, newly appointed dean of the Domus Academy, and Petter Neby, founder of the Swiss consumer electronics firm Punkt., which is art-directed by Jasper Morrison. The public seminar was staged with the aim of guiding and improving knowledge creation processes in the contemporary period. In the context of the Wired Next Fest, Punkt. teamed up with Domus Academy and NABA for an inspiring day on the campus, reflecting on the future of design education from different perspectives. Note: This article is not a direct conference report but a reflection on the revelations of the various speakers and the debate that followed. The content of this article does not reflect the views, opinions or positions of Punkt. Tronics AG, the official supporter of the initiative.

The seminar was structured around one-to-one interactions between specialist guest speakers and students, where the students challenged the experts with questions on chosen topics. There were 12 sessions which covered topics ranging from science to writing, art to business, technology to design.

The featured specialists were: Giovanni Amelino-Camelia, physicist, Ph.D. from MIT and researcher at the University of Rome La Sapienza; Amnon Dekel, programmer, computer scientist, computer artist and psychologist; Clemens Weisshaar, German designer, co-founder of the Kram/Weisshaar studio in Munich and Stockholm; Giorgio De Mitri, Creative Director of Sartoria Comunicazione, a successful Modena-based creative agency; Dan Hill, managing director of Fabrica, author of the popular blog City of Sound; Slovakian designer Tomáš Gabzdil Libertíny, who founded a studio in Rotterdam focused on exploring strategies in object design and construction; Renato Montagner, architect, who founded the multidisciplinary studio Change Design in 2002; Nikolaus Hirsch, architect, curator and director of Städelschule and Portikus Kunsthalle in Frankfurt; Roberto Paci Dalò, visual artist and composer; Matteo Pericoli, architect, illustrator and teacher who recently completed a Literary Architecture course at the Columbia University School of the Arts; Elisa Poli, architectural historian, who teaches at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Ferrara and on the Master in Interior Design promoted by NABA, and Kuno Prey, the designer and lecturer who founded the new Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The introductory speakers were Alberto Bonisoli, Marc Ledermann, Petter Neby and Gianluigi Ricuperati.

Petter Neby, founder and father of Punkt. Tronics AG. Image courtesy of Domus Academy.

Why Education?

Schools and universities have always been important hubs for the production of knowledge but the technological revolution of the past 20 years, and the democratization of information through the Internet have facilitated other learning paths, such as networks, gossip, memories and experience, which contribute to forming the learning environment and are now redesigning the role of educators. As unemployment levels soar, it is important to tap into these knowledge sources, which are by nature less visible, and therefore more difficult to account for and measure, forcing schools to question their role in the future of education. In his introduction, Petter Neby of Punkt. stated that the current education model, built for the benefit of industry and corporates a century ago, does not necessarily meet the needs of contemporary society or students. According to Neby, a teacher’s responsibility is to guide students towards their purpose in life, without forcing them to fit into a rigid, outdated model.

Meanwhile, Alberto Bonisoli, director of Domus Academy, started the day by questioning if teachers will really be needed in the future at all.

Quote by Giovanni Amelino-Camelia, Wunderkammer of Ideas. Image courtesy Domus Academy & NABA

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