Design Garage
November 25, 2015
By Emma Alexander, Honors Communications Intern
One important and beneficial aspect of the Honors College is the offering of interdisciplinary projects and opportunities. Although many interdisciplinary, thought-provoking HONR classes are offered each semester, the Honors College also provides smaller, less time-consuming opportunities for its students to experience teamwork and innovation outside the classroom. One of these opportunities manifests itself in a series called “Design Garage.” Led by faculty members and partners to the Honors College, Shannon McMullen and Fabian Winkler, Design Garages are reoccurring workshops in which small groups of students participate in various creative explorations in technology. As part of a Design Garage that took place earlier this month, students explored the question, “How does sound define a space?” However, there is yet one more opportunity to participate in a Design Garage this semester. This second workshop, taking place on December 5th, will serve as a continuation of the previous workshop, though student need not have attended the first event to sign up for the second.
When asked to describe what students have to look forward to in the coming Design Garage, Shannon shared,
On December 5th, we will focus on creating sound portraits through audio editing techniques. The sounds for the portraits will come from a database of sounds recorded by participants in the first workshop who made contact microphones. Rather than recording sound as vibrations in the air around us (this is what a regular air microphone would do), a contact microphone senses audio vibrations through contact with solid objects. This type of microphone is thus almost completely insensitive to air vibrations. The audio editing techniques can be used for a number of sounds projects. The sounds we will use will give us an opportunity to consider the intersection of acoustic ecology and sound art. In this case, we will hear the Purdue community and environment in entirely different ways. There is no need to have participated in the first workshop in order to participate on December 5th. If after participating on December 5th, students decide they would like to build their own contact mic and have not yet done so, we can provide the workshop guide and a limited number of kits.
In reflecting on his experience with the Honors College and the Design Garage events as a whole, Shannon mused,
I love the results. I had the opportunity to work with small groups of students to produce creative material objects. The diversity of disciplinary perspectives in the room each time allowed for interesting conversation and for shared expertise. The format of the workshop and the willingness of students to participate in multiple workshops allowed me to get to know them in ways that might be more difficult within the constraints of a classroom.
To sign up for the second workshop on December 5th, follow this link. You can find out more about McMullen and Winkler’s collaborative arts practice here: www.gardensandmachines.com.
