Department Blog
Department news, events, and snapshots of student life at SVA in New York City.
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New Mythbusters Show Debuts November 15 With Alum Jon Lung!
It's finally here. After a summer of filming in California, the beloved Mythbusters franchise will reboot with two brand new hosts—one of whom is Jon Lung, Class of 2016. Popular Mechanics online has the first trailer for the show. It looks like it's going to be epic.
Photos From Our 5th Anniversary Reunion!
On April 1st, the MFA Products of Design celebrated it's 5th anniversary, welcoming back graduates from all years since the inception of the program. Designed and produced by the cmmttee—Eden Lew, Natsuki Hayashi, and Marianna Mezhibovskaya—the event featured refreshments from Radiant Pig and the The City Bakery. Thanks to everyone who made the evening so memorable, and enjoy some pictures below!
Illusion Spinner: The First MoMA Partnership Product Debuts!
Beginning new phase of Products of Design's ongoing partnership with the Museum of Modern Art to design products for the museum's Wholesale Catalog, the first commercial product has just been released!: The Illusion Spinner, designed by Class of 2016 alum Oscar de la Hera Gomez.
SINCERELY, Toward a Contemporary Design of Assisted Suicide
Natsuki Hayashi’s master's thesis, titled Sincerely, explores a contemporary design of assisted suicide. Utilizing design to reimagine the way we die, Natsuki pushes the boundaries of the legally, morally, and emotionally appropriate ways to end life.
“We are living in a contemporary world of slow deaths,” writes bioethicist Margaret Battin. Indeed, deaths have specific shapes to them. But with deaths that are predictable, occur later in life, and can be delayed for longer periods of time using advanced medical technology, doctors can do a lot to prolong life—even if it means more suffering for the patients. Today, most doctors have no choice but to help end the lives and suffering of their patients.
"Yawnie": The Smart Alarm Clock Makes You Yawn (and get to bed)!
Yawnie is a smart product that helps people develop good sleeping habits. Designed by Products of Design students Roya Ramezani and Ziyun Qi and Interaction Design student Nic Barajas, Yawnie tracks users' sleeping conditions and reminds them to go to bed on time by triggering them to yawn. Yawnie capitalizes on the notion that yawning is contagious, and uses it to help improve the sleeping habits of its user.
OUTSIDERS: Designing Engagement With the Incarcerated
Marianna Mezhibovkaya's Masters thesis, Outsiders: Designing Engagement With the Incarcerated, explores how design can foster compassion for the marginalized and disenfranchised incarcerated population through the creation of social support services and products.
VAKIT: On the Elasticity and Subjectivity of Time
The objective of Adem Önalan’s master’s thesis, Vakit: On the Elasticity and Subjectivity of Time, is to reframe our relationship with time—identifying opportunities that lead people to spend time well—from recontextualizing time, to slowing it down through meaningful, memorable life experiences.
PERMANISM: Towards the Obsolescence of Disposable Furniture
Not more than 50 or 60 years ago, the idea of "disposable" did not exist; the physical objects in our lives were intended to be with us for a lifetime...or longer. Today, the convenience of disposability in the United States has become the status quo, and everything from packaging to electronics to even large-scale items like appliances and furniture are now considered throw-away. Spurred by our imperative for constant economic growth, our consumerist culture is having a detrimental impact on our environment. Judy Chi’s master thesis, Permanism: Towards the Obsolescence of Disposable Furniture, looks to reengage people with the physical products in their lives as "objects of permanence."
MASTERMINDS and the Art of Misbehaving
In order to become more brave and confident, MFA Products of Design student Eden Lew embarked on a year-long experiment to become a better designer by learning the ways of a criminal mastermind.
In her thesis, Masterminds and the Art of Misbehaving, Eden’s definition of a criminal mastermind alludes to the romanticized sector of criminals—including burglars, con men, hackers and heist planners. They are con artists who persuade victims into giving up money and valuables. They are craftsmen and tinkerers who decipher the mechanics of systems in order to later break them down. They are hackers who write inventive code to go around highly-secured firewalls, and drug cartel kingpins who run businesses as effectively as CEOs of major corporations.