Products of Design Thesis Presentations 2015

Brandon Washington’s master’s thesis, The Spectacle, is an investigation into Guy Debord’s theory of the same name and how it relates to contemporary society. The spectacle is a communication tool that employs fantasy in order to sell the idea of how we should live our lives, and what we should aspire to be. Brandon’s thesis takes the form of an intervention that aims to wake people up, expose them to alternative and freethinking, get them in touch with their own desires, and express their true selves. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Berk Ilhan’s master’s thesis, Uplift, addresses the quality of life of cancer patients—identifying opportunities that cultivate joy and happiness, and strengthening the support group around the patient. Based on his hypothesis that, through design, joy and humor can positively change most experiences—and inspired by the revolutionary physician Hunter Doherty (popularly known as “Patch Adams”), advocate of humor, fun, and love in healthcare—Berk’s work re-imagines hospital and outpatient experiences beyond conventional boundaries. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Lance Green’s master’s thesis, Grey Space, is a study focused on the interstitial spaces in which we often find ourselves working, and on our ability to adapt to new or unfamiliar working environments. The project is a study rooted in human behavior, exploring interventions—both physical and digital—as a way to help us be most at peace within ourselves, and within the world around us, and culminates in a device designed for the inevitable “virtual office” of the future, dealing with conceptual as well as ergonomic considerations. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Vidhi Goel’s master’s thesis, Kona: Changing Perspective on Learning in India, challenges the structure and effectiveness of the current curriculum and public school system in India. She believes that “learning should empower children and liberate them from mental barriers and social crutches.” She questions both how well children learn in schools, but also the degree to which they find value in what they are learning. Are pedagogy and schooling only about delivering content and preparing for examinations? The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

May Shuchang Sun’s master’s thesis, Her Sense: Women, Technology and Intervention, is aimed at helping women in the workplace by creating technology that builds confidence. The thesis work grew from her initial question: “How can we build and strengthen the relationship that women have with technology?” and culminated in the construction of two robotic interfaces: Puppi and LookBot. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Miguel Olivares’s master’s thesis, In Knead: Rebuilding Intent in Our Relationship with Food, examines how food can be a material for relationship building. Miguel’s love for food and design began in a 10-day immersive workshop held in the Domaine de Boisbuchet, France, studying the physical, emotional and experiential benefits associated with cooking. Inspired by the work of neurologists such as Frank Wilson and philosophers such as Martin Heidegger, In Knead focuses on the influence that the hands have on how we engage our way of being in our daily lives. In Knead is a case study in creating purpose through cooking, and is explored as a digital product, tools, public experience, and business enterprise. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Andres Iglesias’ master’s thesis, Shift: A Proposal to Lift Community Morale, explores two principal ideas: the power of optimism to change the way a group of people see their immediate surroundings, and how searching out “the good” in one’s environment—rather than focusing on the flaws—can be crucial for developing of a sense community. The project moved through many phases, from researching positive psychology to designing a collection of conceptual objects, to creating a platform for community collaboration. Using disposable cameras as the vessel, the thesis culminated in a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt for the good. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Eliz Ayaydin’s master’s thesis, I Was There When, explores how people deal with traumatic memories—specifically, mental relief following natural disasters. Arguing that “at base, designers make sense of messes,” Ayaydin set herself the challenge of making sense of one of the most unexpected and uncontrollable messes there are. Natural disasters are comprised of a highly complex ecosystem, killing on average 106,000 people a year around the globe. And while disasters result in huge physical losses, the effects on the mental well-being of those who survive is equally significant. 30–40% of people affected by natural disasters will experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety symptoms. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Elisa Werbler’s master’s thesis, Things, explores how we ascribe value to our everyday possessions. It examines the things we cherish from our past, the things that signify our relationships with others, the things we consume, the things we share, and the things we can’t bear to part with. Western society suffers from an affliction known as “loss-aversion”—the pain of losing something is greater than the pleasure of gaining something. This term, coined by world renowned psychologist Daniel Kahneman, goes hand in hand with what’s known as “the endowment effect”—the idea that something is more valuable to you than anyone else, simply because it’s yours. The combination of these two ideas led Werbler down a path of trying to pinpoint the exact moment when a decision is being made about something, whether it is in anticipation of a purchase, or an attempt to let go. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Design strategist and storyteller Julia Plevin did not realize how much of an effect the environment had on her wellbeing before she moved to New York City to attend the Products of Design program and found herself yearning for nature. In her master’s thesis, Gowanus Outdoors Club, she was delighted to learn that psychologists and scientists are realizing the impact that the environment has on mental health. Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht coined the term psychoterratica, to encompass the whole set of earth-related mental health disorders—nature deficit disorder, generational environmental amnesia, solastalgia, eco-anxiety, global dread, eco-paralysis, and eco-phobia. Julia’s thesis uses design to create products and interventions that lead to soliphilia, the act of healing a place, community, and the environment with positive energy. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

The objective of Lucy Knops’ master’s thesis, The Void: Finding Value in Nothing, was to reframe the “role of absence” in people’s daily lives. She began on a conceptual level by asking simple questions: What if nothing could be something? What if we could add to our lives by taking away more? Can absence give us substance? The objects, services, interventions and experiences created around the topic of The Void are materializations of the abstract theories that ground and inspire the work, as a way to make them tangible and available for consideration. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Heath Wagoner’s master’s thesis, Disclosional, centers around HIV and the role of conversation. Acknowledging that oftentimes “a conversation is simply not enough,” Heath argues that in the case of HIV, it is imperative. Disclosional is aimed at making communicating about HIV status easier, and to remove its stigma. Heath’s thesis work began with him volunteering at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center (LESHRC) in New York, and ended with a participatory and immersive exhibition and an educational app. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Lusha Huang’s master’s thesis, It’s Chinese to me: Luck and Cultural Empathy, explores the disconnect between Chinese an American culture. As a Chinese student in an international design department, Lusha enthusiastically took on the role of messenger—eager to share her country’s tradition and philosophy with others. Her over-arching goal is to build a cultural bridge, fostering understanding between Americans and Chinese. Central to her thesis is the theme of luck, which dates back to ancient China and has always been extremely important to Chinese culture. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

Steve Hamilton’s master’s thesis, Enough is the New More: Reframing Scarcity to Feel Like Abundance, began with a manifesto of dialectics, eschewing our persistently growth-based metric for success, rejecting the last several centuries of western economic culture that led to the consumerization of happiness in the United States, and offering a more humane and sustainable alternative. His early research centered around a plethora of “wicked problems”—including those pertaining to vastly embedded systemic structures such as energy, materials, transportation, and the design of our cities—and culminated in a set of radical artifacts that speculate on an alternative future. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.

George Crichlow’s master’s thesis, Organizing Principle, examines the innovation process in the context of design. No two client’s business challenges are exactly the same. So why do companies hire consultancies that use a standardized process to solve unique business challenges? George’s thesis looks at creating Organizing Principles to uniquely solve any business challenge by combining different stages of the design thinking and design making process. The thesis project is the capstone of the MFA in Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Learn more about the program at http://www.productsofdesign.sva.edu.