CCS Faculty Members Contribute to PiCoDe International Publication of ‘Collective for Design’

CCS faculty members contributed to a recent publication of “Collective for Design” — which addresses the need to re-evaluate current teachings and learning practices.

The book aims to contribute to the preparation of art and design students for international labor markets, placing the issue of collectivity, locality, material provenance, and sustainability at the forefront of reflection. 

Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Dr. Ian Lambert’s, “Making with Ocean Plastic: Towards New Experiential Processes and Material Outcomes,” centers around the cultural aspects of beachcombing in island communities. He further addresses how they offer a narrative backdrop for exploring the socially responsible engagement with ocean plastic.

Chair of Color and Materials Design Melanie McClintock’s contribution titled, “Local Marketers: Material Narrative Through Place-Based Design Research,” focuses on practice-based research to explore materiality through human experience. Alongside this contribution to the book, McClintock also visited Turkey with second-year Color and Material Design student, Sarah Craven in 2022.

Craven was selected to participate in the third edition of PiCoDe International Collective Design Project in Turkey at the Eskişehir Osmangazi University, College of Art and Design, alongside a team of international students from Turkey, Portugal, and Poland. Together, they worked to design a prototype primarily made from meerschaum — a local material. Meerschaum or Sepiolite is a soft white clay mineral used for handcrafted tobacco pipes and jewelry. Students designed two prototypes, “Yasam” a plant habitat and “Midas” a tattoo machine.  

PiCoDe International Collective for Design is an innovative teaching and learning methodology based on the collective experience of designs from a variety of creative specializations — working with students and professionals in the United States, Turkey, Poland, and Portugal. 

The PiCoDe method helps students learn how to collaborate with other creatives within various disciplines by creating and realizing a new product with the criteria to support promotion and distribution.