On this day, instead of putting emphasis on the realisation of the product, we will focus on research: the Process of Making.
On Wednesday, February 6th, 2019 WdKA organises its first Station Day, the Stations' fair for the students, alumni, tutors and partners. During this day, we would like to give an insight into how knowledge, experiment and research are intrinsically connected to the process of making.
Experimentation, the realisation of (final) products, knowledge development and research all come together within the Stations of the Willem de Kooning Academy. Stations are hubs where students can research the feasibility of their ideas, and develop these ideas into fully functioning prototypes. All students work in the Stations, regardless of their specialization or academic year. Here they use a variety of materials and machinery, from textiles to Arduino boards, from paper to laser cutters.
Research and development play a key role within our Stations. Research activities focus on contemporary topics such as sustainability, residual flows, income inequality, and the depletion of natural resources: topics that are relevant to each and every one of us. Close partnerships with the making industry, our alumni and other professional partners are necessary for us to remain innovative, and to inspire our students and young professionals to keep up-to-date with current developments. The Station Day is our most recent initiative for enabling our students to encounter and experience the creative process of making.
This Station Day welcomes all students, makers, alumni, companies and external professional partners to actively exchange, discuss and engage in the Process of Making!
Programme Station Day*
*Programme for the students and tutors: 13:00 - 18:00;
Programme for the partners: 16:00-18:00
Design: Daan Kuyper and Dora Varga (Graphic Design, third year)
• How We Make Research
A benchmark of the role of research in the Stations
How We Make Research is a mapping and visualisation of interviews with Station coordinators held by Shailoh Phillips. These interviews are also documented and presented in an A5 booklet. Aims of this research are:
- to make visible how research-by-making is already taking place in the different stations by asking questions about inventory, methods and urgency;
- to share knowledge, skills, methods, best practices, enthusiasm for making and examples across the Stations;
- to explore, articulate and strengthen the potential of making as research and stimulate the links and cooperation between Stations, Majors, Practices and Masters.
During the next months, this ongoing research will lead to several public events and conversations that will be organised by the Research Station to explore the role of making within artistic and design research. How We Make Research is an ongoing research project by Research Station (Mark Mulder), Aldje van Meer, Shailoh Phillips as part of the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
• Short workshops and demonstration in the Stations
We offer a programme through all of our Stations, where you can follow short workshops, instructions and demonstrations. Everybody can walk around and receive explanations about a certain method, application and/or technique. See programme per Station, for time table and locations. Please note: some workshops, instructions or demonstrations have a limited amount of seats. Detailed information will follow.
• Makers' Market
Get inspired by other makers and discover new applications, materials and new technologies during the fair. See how waste material, like mussel shells, could be used for 3D printing or how you can use AI (artificial intelligence) within your creative process. Companies and alumni will present digital technologies like robots, VR and AR, but also non-digital technologies will be shown; for example papermaking or colouring fabrics with bacteria.
Hereby the list of participants (view the map for the exact location): Twinkls, LayaLay, Crafts Council Nederland, Mussel 3DPrinter, BlueCityLab, RNUL, Winsor & Newton, Ultrasoon Machines, Jonas Vorwerk, Living Colour, PonsVerhoog, MatDoStudio, Plasticiet, Studio Vied, Arthur Boer & Boris Smeenk, Fruitleather, Micropolitan, Contrechoc.
• Research Station - Exhibition
In the Research Station, students, alumni and tutors show special projects where they use technology or materials in an unexpected way and an exhibition in which the Stations reflect on Research through Making.
• Experiment. Materialise. Position. Share. Show. Connect.
Third-year Graphic Design students investigated a material of own choice during the tenth quarter. Through in-depth research and experiments, they dissected material and transformed it into a new being.
• Elective Phygital
In this exhibition, the results of the elective Phygital will be presented. Students applied Bastiaan de Nennie’s work method. De Nennie starts with building objects from scrap in the physical world. He then digitizes this object with a 3D scanner, later reworking this digital document with 3D software, and prints the result again with a 3D printer.
• StadsLab
StadsLab will present the Graduation Projects. More information about the participants will follow.
• Lectures
Continuous lectures and presentations will take place in the auditorium (Wijnhaven, ground floor, Central Hall). The auditorium door is open, everyone can follow a lecture or presentation whenever he/she wants to. The lecture programme will be comprehensive and varied with different kind of makers reflecting critically on the process of making. They share the unconventional and avant-garde applications of technologies and celebrate different and critical approaches in making. Among the participants: Stadslab, BlueCityLab, PonsVerhoog, Jonas Vorwerk, Arthur Boer & Boris Smeenk, RNUL, Marita Sauerwein, Annemarie Piscaer & Iris de Kievith, Crafts Council Nederland, TEC ART, Dora Varga & Lotte Gerick, SER-VIES.