Design Education Talks Ep. 67 – Tony Edisson

Lefteris Heretakis

“If students come in, not really motivated, if they’re a bit blase, if they’re not hungry for education, maybe if they don’t see a purpose in what they’re doing. They’ll achieve mediocre results, and they may not enjoy it as much as they would. And certainly the impact upon graduation, their impact in the workplace, isn’t going to be as impactful as it could, could and shouldn’t be. So yeah, it’s all well and good teaching skills. But I think changing mindsets, in higher education, developing confidence, self esteem, is really important as well. Because without that there’ll be a fear about experimenting, a theory about failing, which is essential especially in our our domains.” 

Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning – Design Education Talks

Our guest today is Jan Kubasiewicz, Professor of Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and one of the most influential figures in the development of dynamic media and motion design education. Born and educated in Poland, Jan has spent decades working at the intersection of visual language, time, information, and systems. He is the founder and long-time coordinator of the Dynamic Media Institute at MassArt, a programme that helped define how motion, interaction, and data could be taught as core design literacies rather than technical specialisms. Alongside his academic work, Jan’s practice spans exhibition making, research, and authorship, with his work exhibited internationally across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Beyond the classroom, Jan has played a crucial role in shaping design discourse through lectures, publications, and curatorial projects at institutions including Harvard University, where he serves as an affiliate of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies and curator of the Giedrojć Gallery. His writing on motion literacy, information design, and dynamic media pedagogy has become foundational reading for design educators worldwide. In this conversation, we explore how design functions as a language over time, why research is inseparable from practice, and what it means to educate designers for complexity, responsibility, and meaning in a world increasingly defined by motion and data.Since its inception in 2019, Design Education Talks podcast has served as a dynamic platform for the exchange of insights and ideas within the realm of art and design education. This initiative sprang from a culmination of nearly a decade of extensive research conducted by Lefteris Heretakis. His rich background, intertwining academia, industry, and student engagement, laid the foundation for a podcast that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of educational discourse.See all of our work on on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschoolFollow us on twitter at @newartschoolRead our latest articles at https://newartschool.education/and https://heretakis.medium.com/Equipment used to produce the podcast:Rodcaster pro IIRode NT1 5th generationElgato Low profile Microphone ArmMonster Prolink Studio Pro microphone cableThe rest of the equipment is here 👉https://kit.co/heretakis/podcasting
  1. Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning
  2. Nikolaus Hafermaas – Berlin Unplugged: Design, Education, and the Courage to Disrupt
  3. The Future of Learning with Christian Dominique: AI, Neuroscience and the Art of Wellness in Education
  4. Design in Motion: James Grady on Creative Process and Emerging Technologies
  5. The Second Mountain: John McFaul’s Search for Purpose in Design

Professor Antony Eddison PFHEA. With a professional lifetime of teaching, management & leadership in Further and Higher Education in the UK and internationally, Tony is Advisor and External Examiner at several universities for innovative post-graduate programmes, as a practitioner he has worked in Architecture, Design and related Creative Industries and as an artist has most recently exhibited his work at The Royal British Society of Sculptors, London.
As a Senior Associate with QAA Tony works periodically on UK and international Further and Higher Education projects. His consultancy and research focus on developing new ways of unlocking creativity and innovation in business and education inspired by the innovative application of Design Thinking, FABLAB Maker-Spaces and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. His research publications focus upon archaeology, cultural-heritage and the use of VR in engineering, health and well-being and hazardous situation simulation.

Tony is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK and from time to time is engaged as a consultant on a variety of business & international higher education related assignments and mentors those working towards levels of Fellowship recognition with AdvanceHE. 
Tony also heads up a small enterprise which designs and hosts innovative virtual and augmented reality online tours and experiences of castles, stately homes, and other buildings with a focus on communicating our cultural heritage to a global audience.

To end on something quirky, Tony is a keen cook, has been a voice-coach to a well-known celebrity chef and was fortunate enough to conduct the last recorded interview with the first chef to take cooking out of the kitchen, Keith Floyd. Tony can be contacted at ant_je10@yahoo.co.uk

Support the show

Follow us on twitter at @newartschool
Visits us on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschool
Read our latest articles at https://heretakis.wordpress.com/
and https://heretakis.medium.com/

Unknown's avatar

Published by Lefteris Heretakis

Navigating you through the disruption in #art, #design and #designeducation.

Leave a comment