Research Team

WHY DID YOU APPLY TO THE ITALIADESIGN FIELD SCHOOL PROGRAM?

When I first came to SFU I went and talked with Russell Taylor about the SIAT program, he gave me a tour of what the program was about and talked to me about his ongoing research with the ItaliaDesign program, so I was interested in italiaDesign from about the same time I became interested in SIAT. I enjoy travel, and think that there is real value in not only seeing other places, and experiencing something that is not your home, but seeing how other people do things. The opportunity to meet with some of the best designers in Italy was a definite draw as well. Lastly, referring to my first meeting with Russell and finding out that there was an opportunity to do research as an undergraduate was for me, irresistible.

WHAT I LEARNED

Going to Italy and meeting with some of the best designers in the country (world maybe?) was a humbling experience. It was a very positive humbling experience. Getting a chance to ask them about their processes, how they work through problems and how they go from idea, to sketch to prototype and finally to manufacture (we went to several factories as well) was illuminating and exciting. Spending so much time immersed in the Italian culture, with companions whose focus was design, meeting and discussing design, and interaction, and space, and architecture, was an experience that I haven't had before.

Rome has an extremely long history, and during our preparation for the trip we studied part of it (it'd be hard to study any more than a part during a single semester). Going through Rome and seeing the layers upon layers of how Rome grew, shrank and built up again was a lot of fun. In some places it's said that there is thirty feet of Rome under Rome, and we got to explore some of that, from churches with basements which were ancient temples, to walking down the forum and finding (perhaps) a descendant the original fig tree might have stood, where Romulus was found, essentially marking the spot where Rome began. Florence was the home of the Renaissance, and we took full advantage – going to Bernini's and Michelangelo's master-work sculptures, and going through galleries and churches seeing art works which were completely different from what went before (the invention of perspective for instance), and changed what came after.

We got an opportunity to tour Rome with an architect named Tom Rankin, who gave us a project to do an intervention on the Crypta Balbi Museum, which has an archaeological site across the street. Though we are not architects, we were able to design a connection from the existing building to the space across the street, and had the chance to design in interactive installations into the connection. Going though this process, and getting the chance to study Brunelleschi's dome in Florence, and Michelangelo's St. Peter's Basilica gave me an insight into architecture that I simply didn't have before going to Italy. Related to architecture, we looked at how the Italian hill towns were put together, from the chaotic layout of the medieval, to the redesigned renaissance towns, we got to see what worked and what didn't at the town level, what became a successful town square, and what elements and patterns were at play in the cities.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS

Going to the Piazza della Signoria on our last night in Florence. They had blocked off the Loggia dei Lanzi for a few days and i hadn't gotten the chance to really spend much time with the sculptures. The reason that they had the Loggia blocked off is because they were having dances and a concert (on our last night in Florence as it turns out). Watching symphony's in Italy turned out to be a recurring theme for me in Italy (i got to see another in Milan as well), but this one culminated in Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, and during the climax the Loggia was lit up with fireworks.

MY TRANSCENDENT MOMENT

" I did however come away from these two paintings with a new appreciation of how artists can affect emotion and thought. I won’t soon forget either painting or the feelings I experienced seeing them."

Download this and the rest of my Florence moments here

MOST MEMORABLE INTERVIEW MOMENT/QUOTE

Alberto Meda. Going into his studio, finding that he works alone (and actually interrupted our visit to answer his phone), and getting to see his sketchbook and how a project goes from his sketchbook, to prototype to finished product.

FAVORITE PLACE/SPACE

Brunelleschi's Dome, Duomo, Florence. Seeing how the dome was built by going up through it, looking out over the city from it's lantern. It's a wonderful view, and an extremely interesting piece of architecture and civic history.

MY FAVORITE MEAL(S)

In Florence we went to a restaurant (Trattoria Pallottino) with the group and i heard that they had some amazing Florentine steak, what i didn't know was that when you order a steak that's all you get, if you want veggies or anything else, you specifically have to order it so there i was with a monster (though delicious) steak, and nothing else. I wound up bartering pieces of steak for veggies. After dinner we went to Vivoli (a gelato shop right next door), and had some of the best gelato i had on the trip.

MY CAPTURED MOMENTS

ADVICE FOR UPCOMING ITALIA DESIGN STUDENTS

Roll with it. On a trip like this things will go wrong sometimes, this can be a challenge, but if you can roll with it, and not let problems get in the way you'll enjoy yourself more and you'll be more fun to be around. Also, you don't need everything you think you'll need, don't take too much, and don't be afraid to drop things along the way.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

I have a diploma in Computer Information Systems from Kwantlen University College. And I am currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design.

CAREER GOALS AND INTERESTS

I'm interested in knowing how people use things. I was an embedded systems programmer for five years before coming back to university to study interaction design. I am interested in studying how people use computers and other objects, and mixing my previous experience with design and interaction.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

I have a diploma in Computer Information Systems from Kwantlen University College and was an embedded programmer for five years before deciding to come to Simon Fraser University to study Interaction Design.