Research Team


Background and expectations:

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

I grew up in Quesnel, British Columbia, where I spent most of my time reading and painting. Presently I do much of the same when I find time between work and school.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

I'm a fifth year Interactive Arts major, double concentrating in Design and New Media while completing a minor in English. I spent the first year and a half in the Fine Arts program at SFU Burnaby but decided that I was looking for something different. Thus I find myself here.

WHY DID YOU APPLY FOR ITALIADESIGN?

I first heard about ItaliaDesign when I was still taking DDE in 2006. Even from that time, I knew that the opportunity being presented would be a once in a lifetime chance to experience something unique and meaningful. I would be able to work with a group of intelligent individuals, some of the best our field has to offer, in an advanced program where I could further my design knowledge while at the same time grow as a person. I would have a chance to meet with successful people in the industry I was interested in working in myself and discover more about what is in store for my own life.

Experiences In-field:

WHAT DID YOU LEARN:

  • About design?

    It's hard to say what I didn't learn about design on this field study. I believe the most important thing that I came away with in regards to design would be the idea of designing for people and in context.

  • About design process?

    Be curious! I will always remember the tour through the late Achille Castiglioni's office in Milan. The place was alive with ideas, floating on the air as if the Maestro had just stepped out for an espresso. Castiglioni lived in a state of constant curiosity and that is what gave so many of his pieces the life that made them so fascinating! Be aware of everything around you - you never know where inspiration may lie!

  • About cities?

    It was so strange, something I hadn't thought too much about, but every city has a feeling, has a life and a beat that seeps into you as you walk down their streets. In Rome it felt as if the entire city was buzzing: people moved in this direction and that, interacting while the cars moved in unending circles around the Vittorio Emanuele monument and through the narrow streets packed with every imaginable kind of people that could possibly fit into the space. It was a place that kept you energized and in awe. Every day you would sit down, realizing you were walking through 3000 years of history. When in another city, I talked to a tourist who, when they heard I had gone to Rome, asked me how I liked a city so disorganized. "The city was chaotic, loud, and exploding with activity at every turn. I love it." I told them with a smile. From the first time we studied Rome I knew it would always be home. And it still is.

    From that place we went to the extreme opposite: Dolciano and the Tuscan countryside was the epitome of relaxation. Watching the sunset over tiled roofs and through fields of flowers, walking through darkness where the twinkling of fireflies guided you into the unknown, it was a release from the hustle of Italia's capital.

    Florence was a surprise. As I moved through the city after feeling the two extremes, I was concerned that it would become something uninteresting in a way. I was wrong. The city moved me in a way I couldn't imagine; I was immobilized by the realization of all the work and passion that was displayed through the art and architecture visible in the city. One could never have enough time in a place with so much to learn from.

    Milan was the most recently built city we visited. During World War II, the city suffered extensive damage to the point that any remains from its extensive past have long been forgotten among the many other interests the city offers. That said, it was one of the places where the people's movement was one of the things I couldn't ignore. Purposeful but not rushed, it was the most appropriate place in my mind to consider the concepts the designers we interviewed were presenting.

    After all is done, the trip was one of the most important experiences of my life. I now have somewhere that, if given an opportunity to visit again, I would do so in an instant. Luigi Barzini said in his book The Italians that anybody who steps into Italy will forever know it as home. How appropriate, I couldn't agree with him more.

  • What new perspective did you come home with?

    Other than the new perspective and information I learned through the studies we conducted over the two months there, the most important thing I learned was how important a network can be. Living and working with the same 14 people for nearly two months, I know that I've found a group of people that I can depend on for the rest of my career as work colleagues and as friends. If everyone comes out of this field school with even that, everything is worth it.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS OR INTERACTIONS:

  • In daily life?

    Appreciating the simple things in life, I would have to say sitting down for dinner with everyone from the field study. It didn't really matter what we were eating, because the company was always excellent. Of course, it didn't hurt that pretty much everything we made was delicious!

    During course work?

    In the hilltown of Montepulciano, I had been wandering around people watching and overall investigating the place when I heard music accompanied by the sounds of metal working. Walking around the corner, a small shop came into view where a coppersmith was busy working away on a large caldron with the help of a young boy. After some encouragement from Russell, I read through some interview questions I had prepared for the town of Pienza a few days before and stepped forwards to engage the gentleman in conversation. He looked up from his work at me using the best of my Italian language. Simon Shum arrived a couple of minutes later as the gentleman acknowledged that we were students. He took us into his shop and proceeded to show us all around and about his work. It turned out he is a world renowned coppersmith whose works are hand crafted and sold to some of the most prestigious chefs all over the world. He was a fourth generation coppersmith and the young boy who was there was his nephew who, at the age of eight, was learning the craft with his master. Cesare Mazzetti was a fantastic person to be able to talk to and, even though we were half an hour late for our scheduled meeting time, Simon and I have something we'll always remember.

MY TRANSCENDENT MOMENTopen link

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDYING ABROAD AND STUDYING AT HOME?

There are very few times that I can think of when I could just focus on one thing for a solid 6-7 weeks. No work, no other classes, nothing but that focus. It's refreshing.

CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE VALUE OF THE FULL SEMESTER OF CONTEXTUAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL STUDIES PRIOR TO IN-FIELD WORK?

  • About language?

    One thing I CANNOT stress more is how useful learning the language is. For all upcoming groups, the more you know the language, the easier interactions will be and the more the people there will open up. Proving to them that you care enough to learn the language is very important. It was an excellent investment. That and you'll come back loving it.

  • About Italian history?

    When you're walking on 3000 years of history, knowing a bit about it is always valuable. Considering how young the country of Canada and that the youngest neighborhood we studied in Rome was about as old as Canada is as a nation is something to recognize.

CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE LEGACY PROJECT OF THE ITALIADESIGN FIELD SCHOOL?

I would like to see the neighborhood studies in Rome taken further with more interviews. Personally I would like to see an integration more with the life in the San Lorenzo district. There's alot of potential there for someone willing to reach for it.

Reflecting:

CAREER GOALS, ASPIRATIONS, AND INTERESTS POST-FIELD SCHOOL?

I'd like to use the lessons learned from people such as Castiglioni and create pieces of design that will inspire and be thought provoking.

DID YOU MEET YOUR PRE-TRIP GOALS?

I never thought that I would be able to lead a conversation with someone in a language I wasn't comfortable with. But when I was preparing for the trip, I decided I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try to communicate more with people. I'm glad I did.

WHAT IMPACT HAS THE FIELD SCHOOL HAD ON YOU?

The field school has given me an opportunity to be more outgoing and develop an important network that we as a group know can be depended on.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR UPCOMING ITALIADESIGN STUDENTS?

Take this chance to be inspired! You'll be in Italy talking to some of the smartest people in our field to this day! Hold on to that knowledge. And don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone; it'll be one of the best things you do on the trip.