The notion of “Mediums” lies at the heart of understanding and shaping our designed world. Mediums are not merely passive channels, but active agents that both constrain and expand the ways in which ideas, experiences, and environments are conceived, communicated, and transformed. In this proseminar, we will take a critical look at the current and emerging landscape of design technologies and technologically-driven design. We will examine new and evolving tools, technologies, and methods that help us augment ourselves and our environments, developing a critical perspective on their significance within today’s cultural contexts. 

 

Situating our inquiry within contemporary spatial, environmental, and social challenges, students will have opportunities to explore and debate, and to position themselves along the spectrum of technology, as both a tool for creation and an intimate human and social interlocutor. 

 

Readings and discussions will address topics including Simulation and Representation, Interaction and Cognition, Creativity and Digital Craft, and Intelligence and Bias. In addition to engaging with the theoretical frameworks presented, students will have opportunities to create projects and experiment with new technologies, contextualizing their work within the themes of class discussions. As such, this proseminar provides students with a robust theoretical foundation and essential methodological approaches to inform and inspire their work across the diverse interests and trajectories that define the Domain of Mediums.

 

Enrollment is limited to students in the GSD MDes Mediums Domain.