Overview

Light, Emotion & the Environment

A transdisciplinary design studio, driven by research, materials exploration, and sustainable principles;
delivering light that provides both human & environmental benefits.

This studio explores the power of connecting light to the energy it consumes, the waste it creates, and the activities that it illuminates.

How can the design of an illuminated object or space inspire people to act and think about the environment in more responsible ways? Beyond improving energy efficiency, the aim of this studio is to author products, tools, and environments that facilitate responsible habits, lifestyles, and world views.

Students from the fields of environmental, product, graphic, information and textile design will work collaboratively in teams to design projects ranging in scale from the personal light to the urban façade—fully considering packaging, materials, distribution, marketing, throughout many lifecycles.

参加大学の紹介|Introduction of the Participating Universities

プロジェクトの概要|Project Outline

In 2006, Tama Art University (TAU) started the joint project “Pacific Rim” with Art Center College of Design (ACCD) in the United States, which has cultivated exchanges with TAU for 25 years. In the project, design students of the two institutions collaborate to research and work on global social themes such as a rapidly aging population or natural disasters. They explore the theme from the viewpoints of different cultures, customs, languages, and thinking, then propose their responses and solutions as designers. The results of their research will be announced in a final presentation, as well as in the Internet.
Last year, the students focused on the theme “How can design respond to natural disasters?” and worked hard on case studies of the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the huge earthquake in Los Angeles. At the end of the project, they had not only produced a number of creative responses to disaster relief, but had also deepened their understanding of other cultures.
In September this year, ten students of ACCD will visit Japan for three months to carry out research on the theme of “Sustainable Design” with twelve students of TAU.

プロジェクト運営組織|Project Organization

Tama Art University

FUJITANI Nobuto (Chairperson of Board of Directors)
SEITA Yoshihide (President)
TAKEDA Mitsuyuki (Dean of Faculty of Art and Design)
TAGUCHI Atsuko (Dean of Educational Affairs)
HATA Gohei (Chair, International Exchange Committee)

NAKASHIMA Shobun (Head of Graphic Design)
IWAKURA Shinya (Head of Product Design)
HASHIMOTO Kyoko (Head of Textile Design)
TABUCHI Satoshi (Head of Environmental Design)
KUBOTA Akihiro (Head of Information Design)

Project Leader
WADA Tatsuya (Professor of Product Design)
Pacific Rim Committee members
TAGUCHI Atsuko (Dean of Educational Affairs)
HATA Gohei (Chair, International Exchange Committee)
YAMAMOTO Masayuki (Associate Professor of Graphic Design)
WADA Tatsuya (Professor of Product Design)
TAKAHASHI Tadashi (Professor of Textile Design)
HIRAYAMA Susumu (Professor of Environmental Design)
KUSUNOKI Fusako (Associate Professor of Information Design)
TAMURA Yuji (Manager of International Exchange Section)

Art Center College of Design

Nate YOUNG (Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer)
Erica CLARK (Senior Vice President, International Initiatives)
Mark BREITENBURG (Dean of Undergraduate Education)
David MUYRES (Vice President, Educational Initiatives)
Nikolaus HAFERMAAS (Chair of Graphic Design)
David MOCARSKI (Chair of Environmental Design)
Dan GOTTLIEB (Member of the Part-Time Faculty at ACCD)
Penny HERSCOVITCH (Member of the Part-Time Faculty at ACCD)

Project Leader
Yoshio IKEZAKI(Professor of ACCD / Adjunct Professor of TAU)