Teaching
.19. Unseeing the world and reading it anew
Students graduating in 2020 will be active members of the art and design community until 2065 or beyond.
My teaching is driven by the skills and competencies they will need to not only become responsible global citizens but eventually take over creative leadership. Looking at the world’s changes in the last fifty years, it is obvious that we educate for a society no one is able to know, predict, or simply understand today. However, we can foresee the discipline’s attributes that best facilitate professional communication and ethics. For our students, this does not only include critical thinking and agency to foster sustainable thinking and social justice; more importantly, it requires developing creative skills that are unique, strong, and independent of technology, media, or zeitgeist.
In my thesis classes as well as in my international collaborations, I focus on supporting students in finding and applying their own visual language, embrace diversity and interdisciplinary collaborations, and propel their identity in order to vigorously influence their own creative practice.
since 2012 Parsons School of Design, New York
2010-2011 Lebanese American University, Beirut
2007-2009 Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong
2001-2007 Academy of Media Arts, Cologne
XIII. COURSES TAUGHT
Parsons School of Design
School of Art, Media, and Technology
Critical Thinking and Making: The Visual Archive
Fall 19 & Fall 20
This class explores the relationship between form and content: How is meaning constructed and communicated through visual language? Through observing, collecting, analyzing, writing, and form making, students apply design processes involving visual research, concept generation, and craft skills. Driven by research interest, students will use digital and analog means to build visual archives. These collections are approached as a resource of critical inquiry and to respond to current socio-political issues.
UTNS: Practices of Observation
Spring 19, Spring 20
This course is co-taught by the directors of the Observational Practices Lab, Parsons: Selena Kimball, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art Practices, and Pascal Glissmann, Assistant Professor of Communication Design. This course aims to provoke dialogue about practices of attention and observation, and invent new ways of looking.
Collab: Speak Music Speak Design
Spring 19, 15 & Fall 17, 16, 14
This class is a collaboration between Parsons and The New School for Jazz, taught jointly by one faculty of each division and populated with a 50/50 student ratio from each school. Students of both areas will appreciate tools to partner with each other and understand the differences and overlaps to create cross-disciplinary projects. Co-taught with Alexis Cuadrado.
UTNS: OBJECT AMERICA
— Observational Practices through the Senses
— Observational Practices through Specialized Instruments
— Observational Practices through Speculation
Fall 17
These two-day (1-credit) transdisciplinary workshops launched by the Observational Practices Lab, Parsons, will explore the idea of “America” through examining everyday objects. Combining artistic research practice, critical design thinking, and experimental pedagogy, we will disrupt habitual ways of looking at everyday “American” objects. Training in observational methods—from the scientific to the absurd—will be initiated by guest researchers whose fields include art, climate science, cultural geography, data visualization, economics, history of mathematics, medicine, media theory, material science, music, poetry, and politics — in order to posit alternative ways of seeing. Co-taught with Selena Kimball.
Thesis 2 BFA Communication Design
Spring 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12
Thesis 1 & Thesis 2 are a year-long self-driven investigation into the research, prototyping and design of an identified problem, providing an opportunity for design innovation following an appropriate methodology, and building the project in different ways and on various trajectories.
Thesis 1 BFA Communication Design
Fall 16, 15, 14, 13, 12
Thesis 1 & Thesis 2 are a year-long self-driven investigation into the research, prototyping and design of an identified problem, providing an opportunity for design innovation following an appropriate methodology, and building the project in different ways and on various trajectories
Collab: MicroHabitats
Fall 15
The class investigates personal MicroHabitats and their influence on the creative process. How does this process change when we shift the environment? Students in New York, Cologne and Hong Kong will dissect their habitats into layers (visuals and sounds) to create an archive that feeds re-sampling and composing through printing technologies– including rizograph. The aim is a collaborative open end audio-visual publication. International academic partner include: Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Hong Kong Baptist University: Academy of Visual Arts.
Collab: FORTY FIVE SYMBOLS
Fall 13
A collaborative exploration of visual language that unites students, teachers, scholars, and ideas from 6 cities across 4 continents that culminates in a central exhibitions and a series of publications. International academic partner include: Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Hong Kong Baptist University: Academy of Visual Arts, Lebanese American University Beirut: School of Architecture & Design, Falmouth University UK: Graphic Design Department and Universidad de los Andes Bogotá: School of Architecture and Design
Topics Typography
Fall 12
This course is an advanced and intensive studio for students particularly interested in developing more complex projects within the domain of typography. Students will experience the nature of the discipline ranging from micro- to macro-typography and build an understanding for its unique interdisciplinary character across media and culture. Based on given and self initiated projects students will explore experimental approaches in the creation of type as well as general contemporary practices.
Communication Design: Core Course Interaction
Spring 12
This studio course exposes students to thorough and elaborate interactive concepts and techniques for digital applications. It is an extensive investigation in the interface, the mechanism, the controls and the aims of interactive works. Students will learn how to undertake a thorough research and direct their thinking process from brainstorming to final outcome. They will be given the tools to conceive, plan and develop an interactive system and they will become aware of the importance of their role in the development of interactive media.
Lebanese American University
School of Architecture and Design
2011/2012
Web Design A
Web Design A
Senior Project 1
Senior Project 2
2010/2011
Web Design
Advanced Interaction Design
Introduction to Typography
Advanced Typography
Graphic Design 1, Corporate Identity
Graphic Design 1, Editorial Design
Senior Project 1
Senior Project 2
Hong Kong Baptist University
Academy of Visual Arts
2008/2009
Information Aesthetics
Design for Hypermedia
Design of Virtual and Physical Interfaces
Elements and Principles of Design A
Elements and Principles of Design B
2007/2008
Design for Hypermedia
Typography A
Typography B
Design of Virtual and Physical Interfaces A
Design of Virtual and Physical Interfaces A
Elements and Principles of Design A
Elements and Principles of Design B
Academy of Media Arts Cologne
Media Arts/Media Design
2007
*fusion 5: xxxfusion (Workshop)
Designbasics 2 (Graphic Design 2)
2006
*fusion 4: suomifusion (Workshop)
Designbascis (Graphic Design 1)
Typography 1
Experiment: Font (Typography)
Vorspiel (Motion Graphics)
Reactype (Interactive Typography)
2005
*fusion 3: visualfusion (Workshop)
*fusion 3: virulentfusion (Workshop)
Letters on screens (Typography)
Loop (Digital Media)
Computational Media Design
2004
Typography
Algorithm, Visualization and Interaction
Controlled: Experimental Electronics (Workshop)
Treets: Experimental Electronics (Workshop)
Computational Media Design
2003
In the Power of Ten: Visualization
Navigable Structures: Visualization of Data
Book of seconds (Graphic Design)
Proce55ing (Workshop)
Analog Robots 2 (Workshop)
Analog Robots (Workshop)
Typography/Layout
Computational Media Design
2002
Letterscape (Typography)
Ad Hoc (Graphic Design)
Mini Viehtures (Digital Media)
Typography/Layout
Computational Media Design
2001
Computational Media Design