Attend CD Lecture(3–4pm EST). Zoom link in CD App. Respond with a critique of the lecture and position it in the context of contemporary design culture(200 words).
Name
Response
Paul
Claire
Really enjoyed Archie’s and Playlab’s catalog of work. His journey was inspirational in the grandeur of all of it. One takeaway was that I really noticed how networking and keeping contact with peers helps you throughout your career as he mentioned with how many connections/people there are in the many projects he had done. Inspires me to be more creatively open with collaboration and just extroverted in general. His ideas for immersive worlds seemed simple which I want reflect onto my own design. I almost see the ideas behind his work as simple thesis statements but extremely well executed. He was also a very effective speaker and I can see why people trusted him to achieve his ideas.
Yee Fang(Liz)
Camila
My biggest takeaway from this lecture was how over the years, in part as a result of a lot of making, Playlab's projects started to connect with one another and make sense as a whole, despite how multidisciplinary and diverse they all are. Also, that you must avoid fearing an idea before you try to make it.. many of their projects probably seemed highly complex and out of reach at first, but with collaboration, communication and trust, they were able to execute them>which really is the job of the designer; to navigate and resolve the problems, and find effective and compelling ways to give life to ideas. It was quite a refreshing talk!
Hana
This was my favorite CD lecture so far. Archie is clearly passionate about his work and studio, but he seems to be even more passionate about the relationships he’s built over his life, and I’m really glad he spent a good chunk of time talking about the people in his life. The people he’s met throughout his journey seems to be the glue that holds all of his different creative tangents together. It made me hope that my life too, will be filled with not just connections but valuable friendships that will act as a catalyst for creating things. As someone who has a lot of ideas but is always anxious about the“doing” part of any project, I felt a lot of comfort from the quote he shared at the start of his talk:“we’ll see what we see when we get there.”
Avery
Archie’s approach to his lecture was enjoyable for its fun, casual, and enthusiastic manor. He really portrayed himself as human and relatable in how he explained his journey, his passions, and the fun he’s had in his projects. I love how he shows he can work in so many areas from architecture, to art and design, also revealing the mistakes and failures he has. It almost has a childlike wonder to it which is a nice lens to look into when considering a designers future. The way he goes through so many of his projects and so quickly doesn’t allow us to get too much of an in-depth of the works, it almost seems untouchable, However being able to see how everything is a chain reaction and something new every time creates an interesting perspective. It’s good for him to address his work in the grand scheme of his life. That way we aren’t too laser-focused on the work and more so how it enriched his life, and his demonstration of having different hobbies shows us not to sell our soul to only whatever is in front of us.
Ashley
I think I enjoyed how optimistic Archie was. I feel like we can connect on a level of wanting to try everything. SO, it was amazing to see the evolution of the flow of his project. To see a studio make so much work / projects. Letting the project lead itself. I can feel the“free spirit” from his projects. Seeing how there wasn’t much restriction in the tangent project. Though it wasn’t as restricting as we’re used to, I feel like Archie and the studio had a really structured plan through out each project. The different mediums that Playlab used, were pretty elaborate, seeing as many of the project’s mediums didn’t really relate all too much(From music videos to housing).
Weihe(Leanne)
I think this is a really inspirational talk given by Archie and also very fascinating to see all kinds of works in cross-disciplinary made by his studio Playlab. I really like the part when he talks about 20 years ago that how he was frustrating how things cannot be reached and a sense of anxiety of what to be, and how everything sorts out along the way when he just do it. I love the quote he has mentioned that“we will see what we see when we get there”. I think this is new approach that I should be thinking through thesis since I am stuck at the point where I am trying so hard to think what it will be but not execute it. I am very drawn to those physical installations that he has shown in the work.
Yiwen(Lindy)
It is honestly great to see how much Archie explored and experienced in his life. I am seeing how his diverse experience from architecture to graphic design influence his work and how this experience and privileged position fueled him to experiment and be bold in the design world. I think the most impressive part is as he was experimenting with his life, he connected with a lot of people in different fields which gave him a variety of opportunities as well. I see the features of what makes a great designer, risk taking, great networking, experimenting and most importantly, the undying passion for art and design.
Patrick
I appreciated Archie Lee Coates IV's intentionality in including relationships and teamwork as important qualities of a design practice. It seems beneficial to turn attention to building a healthy ethos alongside the technical skill of a practice, especially in capitalist economies whose markets eat up everything around them through commodification. I also appreciated the idea of a tangent, but my critique would be that I find Archie Lee Coates IV’s exploration of this idea across his work lacking. In general, I wish he had focused on fewer projects and followed-through with the idea of tangentiality. In what ways did his projects relate to another and what do we see at those points of tangentiality? What exists at that site of tangentiality that we don’t see in the individual projects? Instead, he presents his work in chronological order and emphasizes the importance of connections to certain people and the courage to try different things. These aren’t bad things, of course, but not everyone is privileged with the same kinds of connections. And the means to make financial risks in starting businesses aren’t available to everyone. We might all find it profitable to pursue good connections as we start our design careers, but I wonder if Archie Lee Coates IV could have left us with a deeper idea of tangentiality, something each of us could ponder and benefit from no matter our positions. But maybe my desire for a more universally benefiting“lesson” is a misguided, modernist utopian impulse. I’m open to that rebuttal.
Helen
I think it was the first time seeing a studio with such a huge quantity of projects, and every single one so different. There was some logic to how one project led to another but some kind of popped up leading to a totally different direction. I think through seeing Archie present such a quantity of projects it does kind of show that as designers we need to find what we want to do by making a lot of things and exploring many different interests we have. It also felt like playlab has lots of different connections and heavily relies on them(probably as most studios do) but I loved how he said most of his clients were friends or became friends of his and the studio. There is so much value in establishing and maintaining relationships with people who have similar goals and interests(and money) because then you and the client get to make a project you both envisioned. And establishing trust is so important to finding agreement on weird and wild ideas.
Disha
I really liked Archie’s concept of tangents and letting ideas and inspirations lead you off on a tangent to explore and achieve anything you want to within design. A lot of the time I find myself limiting my design practices to a certain type of design or certain topic within design and necessarily forcing myself to specialise in a certain aspect of design because I assume this would be“safer” in terms of a career. Archie - through his work from architecture to fashion - proves that it is not necessary to limit yourself but really explore any type of design that inspires you.
Alisa
I think it’s interesting to see such a vast collection of works that range in such drastic topics and styles. I appreciate Archie’s design process and the attitude towards teamwork and producing intentional design. I liked the tangent ideas he mentioned and letting ideas flow like a tangent. It is something I want to practice as I feel it gives the work a more inspiring quality.
Jiayi(Cassie)
It is inspiring to see Archie and Jeff sharing their concepts of design and transform them to various forms and shapes. Many times I find myself tend to close myself in a comfort zone which I could not get out of subconsciously. Many times, it is hard to see where the comfort zone is and how I can jump out of it. I think Archie’s example of Playlab’s project exemplifies how they proceed in a wide range of perspectives on design and how they reflect back on the topic itself. I think in the future, I will push harder on myself and see where it leads me to.
Allison
It was refreshing to hear how Archie and his partner Jeff walked through each project idea, especially since they were so different from one another, taking up a multitude of disciplines and forms. I think what stuck out to me from the beginning was his emphasis on“going off of tangents” and that acts as the larger framework for formulating new ideas and exploring other crafts to continue making new things. This point definitely connects back to Thesis 1 where we were all pushed to explore different ideas and types of making, and not limit ourselves in the early stages of a product because we might end up with something entirely unexpected yet rewarding.“We’ll see what we see when we get there”.
Xinyi(Vella)
It is really impressive to listen to Archie talks about Playlab’s work. It is such a wide range of fields that they did projects on, and many of them have certain relations in between which could lead to the next new projects. I feel it is really important to be brave and keep curious about all kinds of things, because you will never know what might happen next. Archie put some really personal info in between slides, and I believe that’s something really important too. The emotional support and motivation got from others are big part of confidence as well. What is more, not only the projects are related to quite different topics such as fashion shows, music and architecture, but also the groups behind are quite interesting and different too, including friends’ business, non-profit organization and commercial companies. It sounds so much fun but also really challenging to work with all these different people from different backgrounds. And as Archie mentioned in the end of the lecture, having a spiritual-related friends with trust to work together is the key of everything.
From your workplan, copy and paste in what you planned on accomplishing for today and for next week so we can see it together. Also, put in the obstacles you are facing right now.(Leave suggestions blank)
Scheduled for Today
Scheduled for Next Week
What obstacles are you encountering right now?
What is the person making and who is it for?
Suggestions for resolving obstacles
Paul
Evaluate needs of parents and teacher and focus what I want kids to specifically undertake and what kind of experience they’ll have // protocol detecting
See what mediums or play/educational strategies inform the outcome of the designed experience.
Prototype creative exploration protocol detecting toolkit. medium that encompasses individualized approaches.
Explore what awareness analogues would be fun to open up for kids, explore the analogues in the world myself.
Design Culture
Are.na
Reflection