Putting something into play - reflections on the use of video in design education
Original version
Sj, V. (2014). Putting Something into Play–Reflections on Video as a Creative Tool in Design. In DS 78: Proceedings of the E&PDE 2014 16th International conference on Engineering and Product Design, University of Twente, The Netherlands.Abstract
In design, video is typically used as a tool for presentation, instruction, or observation. The use of
video for creation and discovery as part of the design process is new terrain. This article explores how
video as a tool for creation facilitates artistic expression and critical thinking in design education, and
consequently how it “puts something into play”.
This study reports the experiences of product design students during a course that introduced them to
the potential of the video medium. One of the videos produced during this course is analyzed through
an initial description of the video, further explored by semi-structured interviews with the participating
students. The research question asks how video as a tool of creation can put things into play in design
education.
One unpredicted outcome was that the projects incorporated the element of play on multiple levels.
The disclosed element of play is further explored through aesthetic theory, with particular reference to
Hans Georg Gadamer`s idea of art as play in his book Truth and Method [1]. It seems clear that the use
of video as a sketching tool to explore a design task encourages an experimental approach, and testing
of ideas in real-life situations with real people. The findings suggest that the unexpected effects of
putting something into play support discovery of things not already known.