On Thursday 04 May I had a rendezvous with Australian expatriate designer and educator Ben Walker. Ben kindly invited me to travel with him to Reims to participate in his design class at Ecole Supérieure d’Art et Design de Reims (Reims ESAD) – the Reims School of Art and Design.

The lecturing staff at the school are all professional design practioners.

The students I met with were in their third year of study with the potential to continue for another two years for more advanced learning.

It was interesting to observe the design education practices employed by the school. The teaching workspace and curriculum appeared to be relatively unstructured with students tackling a mix of projects from a range of disciplines. Two and three dimensional design projects were worked on by all students and the results were engaging. The two disciplines often blended together to uncover fascinating processes and solutions.

The student workspace was a healthy laboratory for formal play with student desks covered with all sorts of material experiments. The workshop was a space where students could further experiment and realise their ideas.

One of the highlights of the school calendar is a crazy week in September during which students engage in different workshops with external educators and professionals. The week is a frenetic period of creative action and an incredible release for the students. I hope to return to the school to witness crazy week in full flight.

The enthusiasm and dedication of the educators at Reims ESAD was inpiring to see.

Merci Ben.
Marco in Europe
27 April 2006
09 May 2006
28 May 2006
19 June 2006
31 July 2006
25 August 2006
13 October 2006
18 November 2006
Selections
Jean François Porchez
Reims ESAD
Christophe Jacquet