How must image-making education be reimagined in light of recently emerging digital possibilities?
Overview
| BRIEF | APPROACH |
|---|---|
| Create a virtual space detailing an educational framework for the programming of a cutting-edge campus dedicated to digital image production, in Arles, France. This project was in support of an urban development bid submitted by Redman and Vestia. On this project, I worked Fabbula to produce the deliverables below. The bid was successful, construction should begin in 2027 |
For this project I worked with Fabbula on two key deliverables: 1. The outlining of the educational programs to be offered on this campus which sought to embrace the increasingly multi-disciplinary nature of digital image making. 2. The production of a virtual exhibit in which visitors could see how the program was designed and attend virtual brainstorming sessions. |
Rethinking creative education
The vision was developed to reflect the increasingly porous nature of creative image-making through digital mediums, where animation, 3D modeling, collaging, photography, XR converge in increasingly discipline agnostic ways. The program was informed by the close study of pioneering projects across Europe such as LEV, Serpentine UK's Synthetic Ecologies Lab, and contextualizing them to Arles' specific context as a thriving visual arts hub.
Program architecture
The research phase surfaced distinct audiences the educational program would have to cater to:
- Artists used to analog mediums curious about digital technologies
- Digital professionals seeking to explore new creative avenues
- Professional specialization for seasoned digital creatives.
| Program 1 — TECHNICAL SANDBOX |
Program 2 — WORLDING LAB |
Program 3 — CREATIVE INCUBATOR |
| A school for the careers of tomorrow providing programs for creatives from various backgrounds to discover emerging technologies and explore new ways to collaborate |
A lab for action-driven research focusing on sustainability and the production of forward- looking digital knowledge in close coordination with the region and its biosphere. |
A business center with a and needs-driven approach to social, technological, and environmental innovation. |
Virtual spatial curation
The program was presented as a virtual space created in spatial.io which exhibited both the background research and the proposed vision.
The online collaborative platform was chosen to welcome further co-creation efforts should the project be selected. At the end of the exhibit, visitors were invited to contribute their own needs, desires, and hopes, for what to include in the program.
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Early prototype of the platform spatial.io, which was chosen for its ease of navigation and realistic tone. The map was created in Blender and later made visitable in Spatial. |
The virtual space was created using photogrammetric (3D scan) captures taken on site, GIS data extracted from GoogleMaps, and a skybox taken in Google Street View to situate the virtual space in the location the site will one day occupy.
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I. The Entrance: The spawning location provided context into the project to the visitor by stating the project's general aim of creating a creative campus amidst a larger urban development in Arles. |
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II. The Program: The three education program pillars were explained in a virtual mockup of the city, listing not only their goals but also local and international actors that had decided to join the proposal. |
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III. The Mural: The Mural was used to provide a more interpretive take on the vision of the campus which could be used as a starting point for facilitating online focus-groups once the project would be selected. |
Role: UX Designer, Design Research
Client: Redman, Fabbula
Collaborators: Fabien Siouffi
Location : Arles, France
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