Past Speakers

David Oakey

David Oakey, founder of David Oakey Designs, is a textile designer by trade who now leads a global effort on sustainable, or “smart design.” 

"Respecting the Future"

Respecting the future, whether designing products or a business model, inspires architects, designers and business leaders to change their approach to the “design” process.  This shift necessitates reconsideration of materials, products, and processes within the entire business realm.  Respecting the Future describes Oakey’s transition from questioning the sustainability movement nearly a decade ago, to becoming convinced, and a leader in sustainable design. 

Oakey’s innovations have been inspired by his mentor, Janine Benyus, author of Biomimicry, the study of learning from nature to solve problems in design, business, and life.  Oakey’s lessons also draw on Wabi-Sabi, an ancient Japanese philosophy of learning acceptance versus control.  Connecting the two philosophies, David Oakey’s work describes how nature can become a mentor for business and design and a model for the way of life.  He offers examples of how the design approach can shift away from seeking to control the process, the product and the outcome, and can instead mimic the natural processes premised on self-organizing feedback systems.  Overall, the presentation describes the development of a process and environment for design inspiration and collaboration that enhances the future quality of life.

 

Lars Spuybroek

Lars Spuybroek will be speaking about his work as an architect and as an artist. His designs and research involve the use of computing on many different levels: to generate forms, to manufacture parts, and also to enable interactivity between visitors and the structure.

 

Alan Messer

Alan Messer's contributions to the look of the music business through his photograph talents have been important over his many years in the business. He will share his philosophy of his work as well as his experience in the fast-developing field.

 

Matt Rollins

"How to Tell an Interesting Story"

We humans perceive and communicate most things in life as story.

"We were just coming around that last dramatic curve, with the Yosemite Valley stretching out for miles in front of us, and, all of a sudden, the RV's front tire exploded. I had to ride my daughter's Princess Ariel bicycle three miles down the mountain for help."

The good news for those of us who create stories for a living--designers, filmmakers, architects, writers, musicians, educators, photographers--is that our audience is already hard-wired to think in this way.

Our job is to keep the stories interesting.

 

Artists Panel
(Landesberg, Peragine, and Roney)

"Between Image and Architecture"

There is a wave of Public Art Projects sweeping the country. Recent ‘percent for art captures’ in public building projects and ‘incentives’ for private development have required the incorporation of art into many building projects. With few exceptions, the very best examples of this work are environmental in scale; that is, the art project is successfully incorporated into the buildings or public space rather than plopped next to or hung on them.

Artists and architects tend to fear disappearing into such a thorough collaboration, but this process has the potential to push these media and their public value beyond their norms.

 

Lyn Menne

"Reality Check – Building Good Communities is More Than Just Good Design"

Much of the discussion in the planning and design fields these days centers around Smart Growth and Active Living but what does it take to translate theory to reality?  Design, development and transportation issues are central to creating a quality community but so is a focus on creating and supporting a strong sense of place and building social capital.  The City of Decatur adopted the Decatur Town Center Plan in 1982 after a two-year, community-wide visioning process.  This Smart Growth plan was years ahead of its time and local leaders have made a 25-year commitment to the steady implementation of this downtown development strategy.  Through a walking tour of downtown Decatur we will look at the successes and the compromises over this 25-year period and hear about future development plans.  We will hear about the sometimes “messy” but absolutely essential element of public involvement in creating a development strategy with community support.  And, we will review the challenges faced by local officials who must translate planning and design theory into public policy in a world of competing constituencies and funding limitations.

 

Judy Lynn

"Japanese Bookbinding"

Create and bind your own soft cover blank book using the Japanese side-sewn technique.  Learn about the tools, materials, and methods to make this beautiful and simple structure.  Studio fee of $12.00 includes all class supplies.