Content

Students in the minor materials & systems are makers; they get their hands dirty. You love spending time at the stations and exploring all the technologies and skills available there. You are curious and enjoy tinkering and experimenting. This minor allows you to fully explore that side of art and design. You will learn about materials, how they are manufactured, and how they are used, as well as the social and economic systems in which they exist. In this minor, we ask why we make, how we make, and what impact it has on the world.

Also, we try to identify the social, cultural, and economic dynamics that could help redefine and reinvent art and design work under heavy environmental constraints. For example, we ask ourselves what kinds of new design and manufacturing opportunities might emerge from working with limited material resources, computational constraints, recycling, and repurposing. Or how do we plan for lifetime, disassembly, and inheritance?

The Minor Materials & Systems course emphasizes viewing the world as a system in order to understand the material nature of objects. Every product is the result of a system, and every lived experience is linked with systems. Everything is a system, from the biosphere to the mobile phone. For example, we may regard digital exchanges as immaterial, yet the cloud is merely a computer somewhere else; internet traffic would be impossible without underground connections; and the production of bitcoins requires enough energy to power an entire country. When we redesign materials, we also need to redesign systems.

 

Format

Classes consist of group and individual guidance meetings

Key terms: systemic thinking, critical thinking, desk-field research, relational design, design activism, ecoliteracy, (im)material research, prototyping and positioning.

 

Learning outcomes

• You can show that you understand the role of immateriality within complex systems, as well as how the perception of materiality is constantly changing.
• You can speculate on the impact of design materials on our ways of life, as well as how we perceive and experience the world around us.
• You can position your work within a relevant societal context and add value to it.
• You can use design as a critical tool to question everyday contexts, including current realities and potential futures.
• You can reflect on and experiment with alternative modes of organization and production
• You can create work that adds not only economic value but also social, cultural, and environmental value.

What we offer

On a practical level, the Minor Material and Systems program is divided into two interrelated parts. A hands-on course in which you create a project/future scenario prototype while engaging with the various stations at WdKA. Second, a research-based course in which you analyze your work and conduct research on interconnected contexts and future visions using embedded systems, contexts, and fields. You will also establish your position in a broad professional domain. A series of workshops will be held to address positioning and professional skills.

Consider this minor to be the preparation for your graduation project. At the end of the Minor, you will have a future scenario prototype, which can be used as a graduation project to delve deeper and develop more nuance and sophistication on a specific vision. You can also consider the Minor to be a Future laboratory where you can experiment with visions and narratives to see what works and what you want to develop further in your graduation project. During the plus weeks, you must create a graduation plan

 

What we expect:

We expect students to actively participate in group discussions with their peers and to take initiative. You will be taking ownership of your project. A show-and-share attitude is required for the creative process. You must be willing to experiment, try, fail, and test. In addition, you are open to collaborative and interdisciplinary work environments, as well as critical and constructive feedback.

 

Deliverables and Assessment

• A scenario prototype (media of choice),
•  A research process document (physical -visual collection of all your process and research),
• A research document (3000 words max.)
•  A Pitching presentation during the assessment week,
•  A final collective public presentation
•  Assessment: Individual

 

Learning outcomes

• You can show that you understand the role of immateriality within complex systems, as well as how the perception of materiality is constantly changing.
• You can speculate on the impact of design materials on our ways of life, as well as how we perceive and experience the world around us.
• You can position your work within a relevant societal context and add value to it.
• You can use design as a critical tool to question everyday contexts, including current realities and potential futures.
• You can reflect on and experiment with alternative modes of organization and production
• You can create work that adds not only economic value but also social, cultural, and environmental value.

This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes are required to send a portfolio and motivation. You will receive more information about this after you have registered for this minor. We advise students from other institutes to register at least one month before the deadline. The admission procedure takes at least two weeks. In case you are not accepted into the minor, you might need some time to register for another minor.

Classes consist of group and individual guidance meetings

Deliverables and Assessment

• A scenario prototype (media of choice),
• A research process document (physical -visual collection of all your process and research),
•  A research document (3000 words max.)
• A Pitching presentation during the assessment week,
• A final collective public presentation
• Assessment: Individual

Are you a student from another educational institution and you want to take a minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, you can apply in 2 steps as follows:

1)     Register for the minor of your choice via the blue button Enroll. You can find this button at the top right of the minor's page.

Download and fill in the learning agreement

Submit this learning agreement to the Exam Board of your study programme.

Once the Board of Examiners has given its approval, please register for the minor in step 2 no later than 25 may 2025

2)    After approval, register in OSIRIS Aanmelding of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences via the link below (create an account first).

           https://osiris.hr.nl/osiris_aanmeld_hrprd/WelkomPagina.do?proces=KOM2509&opleiding=MINOR-WDK-VT+00

Part of the registration process is to upload the following documents:

-   The learning agreement signed by you and by your institution;

-   A scan or photo of your passport or ID card;

You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences whether your application has been positively assessed or not.

In OSIRIS Aanmelding, you must also upload the Evidence Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) for the academic year in which you want to follow the minor. You can request the BBC from your institution after you have signed or issued an authorization for the payment of the tuition fees for the academic year in which you want to take the minor.

You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences when your application has been approved.