Category: Silver

Thesis

Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVA) are currently fed with neurotypical databases. The data they use and the human behaviours they copy exclude collectives with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism. These collectives not only are capable to carry on daily-life tasks, but also contribute to having diversity and uniqueness in our societies.

How would it be if we could feed Artificial Intelligence (AI) with databases that weren’t based on neuronally typical behaviours? Can neurodivergent data lead to having more inclusive technologies?

The Politics of Dancing

The popular notion that dance culture is apathetic and apolitical comes from the attempt to tame and repress it’s ecstatic and defiant nature.

“The Politics of Dancing” is a digital platform that explores and showcases dance as an instrument of change through interactive narratives created in collaboration with researchers and multidisciplinary creatives.

The goal is to contribute to a deeper understanding of dance culture as a powerful movement that enables the unconscious development of political elements while raising a broader discussion on how it reflects current socio-political environments, encouraging readers to get involved in The Politics of Dancing on-going research.

Far Away, So Close

Authors: Tiago Rosado, Dalia Al-Akki, Jana Antoun, Juan Arizti, Assil Naji, Marta Borreguero, Elena Caubet, Inés Fernandez, Tanvi Gupta, Stephanie Ibrahim, Tracy Jabbour, Yunling Jin, Jad Karam, Selen Kurt, Alexa Nader, Joelle Nader, Mokshuda Narula, Eirini Sampani, Kuan Yi Wu, Montserrat Sevilla y Brentsen Solomon

Drawing on the transformations of interpersonal relationships brought about the outbreak of COVID-19, “Far Away, So Close” proposes a new dynamic for relating in collective space that harnesses physical distance as a factor for activating and intensifying intimate relationships. A series of mobile sound mirrors installed in public space engender different modes of interaction through the logic of play: a giant game of Chinese whispers; a concert where the music is heard on separate tracks; a personal message conveyed across a crowded square; or whispering a secret from 20 metres away -intimate experiences made magical by distance. “Far Away, So Close” understands the social distancing implemented in response to the pandemic as an opportunity to create interaction instead of isolation.

Indigo – Hindi Zahra

“Indigo” is project made by students of the Master’s Degree in Design and Art Direction about the world tour of the Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra. This world tour will revolve around the origins of Hindi Zahra discovering to the Western world the traditions, cultures, clothing and traditions of its Tuareg people. Indigo will be a tour designed for the public to accompany the artist on a route full of teachings and traditions, so that they can join her, and she them.

Human beings share routes and journeys from our origins, which is why the nomadic experience aims to make this random journey in order to establish an emotional bond through the experience and cultural symbiosis between the Maghreb and the West.

Cafetería Industrial

Project of analysis, ideation, prototyping and layout of the responsive web of “Cafeteria Industrial”, a place in Poblenou that serves its owner as a stage to raise a universe of its own, where gastronomy merges with interior design, branding and creation.

The objectives of this work, made by students of the Master’s Degree in Web Design and Internet Projects Management, are to transfer the whole aesthetic and conceptual universe of the venue and to have the user always in the centre of all the decisions. The inspiration comes from a flat and industrial aesthetic. In addition, a surprise and experimentation effect was incorporated, with the aim of seeking new ways of understanding digital platforms.

Vila Bosc

Housing project in an industrial building in Poblenou, made by students of the Postgraduate in Interior Space Design. Private Perimeters, where the main objective is to integrate nature into the space. This work is conceived as an exempt house surrounded by green. It was decided to develop the house on two floors articulated by two large central courtyards. The floors are very simple but functional and structured with different architectural richness.

Priority was given to spatiality, spaces fluidity, lighting, materials and their link with nature. The result is a sensitive, meticulous and careful project that invites the user to want to live the spaces.

Slow Down, Stop, and Stay. A Public Space Intervention

For the social impact of this intervention in space, in the city of Barcelona, specifically in the district of Ciutat Vella. For the students’ great work of reflection on public space and the gentrification of the Raval. It is also important to highlight the rethinking of new uses of the Plaça dels Àngels through appropriation, involving the neighbours and all users of the square.

Calata

For the simplicity and clarity of this project. We have valued the original idea and its essential resolution, which is developed through sustainable self-production to value the craft. The Jury also highlighted the possibility of creating the coat rack to suit all needs, so that there is not only a single design, but it evolves over time.

La naturaleza del conflicto

For the courage of this editorial project, very risky on a graphic level, which shows with a free spirit the situation of the Colombian post-conflict. A work that explores new avenues and confronts in it two key concepts: botanical sampling and war, violence. The use of narrative in the project to discuss social tensions and differences in Latin America is very powerful.




Bedu

“Bedu” addresses issues of identity and representation by studying the history of western orientalist photographic representation of the Arabman. Within this context, the Bedouin man was constantly performing for the voyeuristic gaze. Forever represented as the nomadic man living a quaint life in the desert, and he, unlike the rest of the world is immune to the impact of time, development, and modernity. The exotic lens which captured “the Other”, has shaped the global perception of the region under the same lens. And continues to shape it today.

In reality, the Bedouin community is experiencing a transitional struggle from traditional to modern. Theylive in little towns on the outskirts of the desert and welcometechnology. Withtourism as the major source of income, most Bedouin sand themselves playing the role of traditional Bedouins to full the tourist’s expectations. In a sense, itisthe role thateverycominggenerationwillfallinto, and in most cases, itistheonly role available.

I worked in collaboration with the Bedouin men of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan to create an inclusive and reactive body of work. Itis a performative play with the viewer’s vision of theman, thedesert and the relation ship between both. TheBedouins are seen performing within the frame, either losing themselves into the lands cape or returning the gaze to the viewer. This dance within the landscape, hopes to emphasize the performative role that plays into
most aspects of the tourism industry.

To Live And Die in Venice

William Shakespeare and hip-hop mayseemcontradictory at firstglance. Butparallels are foundbetweenthesetwoelements of culture. In terms of artisticexpression, the use of wordplay, lyricism and rhythm are akin. Love, jealousy, violence and betrayal are commonsubjectmatters in both.

Influencedby hip-hop and Shakespeareantheatrical performances, “To Live and Die in Venice”isaninterpretation of “Othello” set in hip-hop´sgoldenage.

Theatmosphere of a playispresentwithseriftypefaces, tabulations and navigationelementscommonlyfound in scripts. Hip-hop isintroducedwithbattle rap lyricswhencharactersfacearguments. As thestoryheats up, highlights, violatedtext blocks and imagesreflecttheoffensive and blitz of battle rap environment.




REC 0.15 Pop Up Store

Experimental store created departing from units of beer crates, using different building systems with the aim of creating an element with different functions, which will be identified as a whole.

The purpose was to create an open space with a lattice shade that allowed enjoying the different REC activities, such as the entrance of the pop-up store, the DJ stand, the grandstand or the food area.

The multiplicity of activities around this element generated dynamic fluxes that made this place an epicenter inside the fair, since it also worked as an icon, because it was seen by the users as the meeting and resting place.




Off Space

OFF SPACE is a story about changing reality and suspending time. In our story, everyone can go slower to observe and interpret the world around them from different viewpoints.

When you enter, your senses are challenged to perceive your environment in a completely new way. Because what you see is not what you hear and what you hear is not what you think.

My (M)other

‘My (m)other’ is a project that grew out of a personal contemplation and reflection on the internal relationships within families. Mine, like many others (and, dare I say, almost all), hides uncertainty, suffering, problems with character and, as always, love. For years, my relationship with my mother, universally recognised by psychologists, artists, and others, encouraged me to reflect how the context in which people grow up influences us and how this context changes the way we see the world and how people relate to each other, not just within the family, but also in a much wider sense. After extensive research, I finally had things straight and was able to rid myself of certain demons from my past that would not let me recognise my father as an authority in the family, see my sister as the amazing person she is, without feeling guilty, and appreciate my mother as a separate person to me. These photographs are an ongoing project and for me are a way of getting over my past and starting to forge my own path in life.

Kinetic for Solac

‘Kinetic’ presents a new concept in domestic ironing. It turns the conventional base plate of the iron, which had always been flat until now, into a cylindrical base. The handle is turned into a non-slip silicone surface for better grip. This way, the user benefits from ergonomics and ease of use, simulating the action of the hand to get rid of creases, a much more intuitive way of understanding ironing.
Thanks to its roller shape, the same movement can be used to apply the motion and the sufficient pressure to be able to do without the heat of traditional irons.
It has a charge base that allows it to be powered and to heat the water to create the steam needed for ironing.

Very Cook

“Very Cook” has arisen as a response to consumer culture with the aim of creating new exchange formulas. The project creates the brand identity of a cookery classes exchange platform that fosters social relations without financial remuneration. The idea is based on the slogan: “You are the best ingredient”. The jury rated it highly for “its close and direct language, in joyful colours, images that are far removed from cookery stereotypes and word plays between people and ingredients.”

Monop Gourmet

“Monop Gourmet” is a range of products that offers Mediterranean dishes. To show that the products are natural and healthy, pictures are shown of the main ingredients of the dishes against a brown background. It also aims to give a direct reference to Arabic reminiscences, emphasising the more exotic part of the product, with the symmetric distribution of shaded areas. The jury rated it highly for “the fusion between East and West of the packaging, which makes it stand out.”

Equal Society


“Equal Society” is a proposal to transform one of the shop windows of the VINÇON store, based on a black humour vision inspired by films and plays in the noir genre. The idea is inspired by George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, to create a space in which the protagonists are five piglets with knives around a picnic basket. This work on the human condition pulls the viewer in while displaying the VINÇON products in the shop window. The jury rated it highly for the “synergy of the concepts of black humour, irony, beauty and sinisterness.”

Interior restoration by Guasch

“Restoration of the Attic of the French Institute of Barcelona” proposes the restoration of the interior space designed by the emblematic architect José Antonio Coderch. The proposal is divided into three unique spaces for the guests’ area, the main dwelling and the theatre. With no divisions between the spaces, but maintaining the privacy of each one, and with all types of doors are removed thanks to the geometry of the vertical walls. The jury rated it highly for its “ability to reinterpret coherently the work of a master architect.”

Kiehl’s by Mahmoud and Olazabal

“Kiehl’s” proposes focusing on one of the company’s principal brand attributes: its legacy. The new strategy emphasises the natural essence of the products and reinforces Kiehl’s positioning as a luxury brand. The project undertakes the principal elements of the brand’s ideology, such as its communication, packaging, space, visual merchandising, interface design and technology. The materials used in the new store decoration take the brand’s most iconic object as its reference: The Harley Davidson.