A joint poster project of the China Academy of Art Hangzhou and the
University
of Applied Arts Vienna, Prof. Matthias Spaetgens’ ‘Klasse für Ideen’ (Class of Ideas).How does design
influence the environment? How does the environment influence design? And what are the roles and responsibilities of the designer?
Throughout the summer 2022, students from Hangzhou and Vienna simultaneously engaged
with specific notions in and around the theme of ‘Design + Environment’. In this way, they continued a series of collaborations
starting back in 2017.
The students picked topics that lie close to their hearts, deepened their
knowledge around them and found solutions to express it in words and pictures.
A poster concentrates
complex issues onto a single surface, in this case 700 × 1000 mm. It is a medium that aims to attract attention from a distance
and, when approached, explains, sometimes enlightens, and ideally stimulates, further thoughts through additional information.
The
19 students from Vienna additionally challenge the static medium of the printed surface, as their posters can also be experienced
as animations using the app Artivive on one’s own smartphone. We call this format – which starts from the poster, but which
isn’t one any longer – ‘Animated Display Image’ (ADI).
It was a very enriching cooperation,
once again.
Inspiring thoughts about ‘Design + Environment’.
Sven Ingmar Thies
Class
for Ideas, University of Applied Arts Vienna
