The exhibition MAKING OF shows a series of objects and rituals designed and made by students of the MscAAD programme (The Building Society) at HKU, in the course of the seminar of the same name.

Design practice is based on manufacturing knowledge, from craft to industry – What world views and philosophies support these technologies? How can we gain a deeper understanding in design? How can tools help craft objects with unique performative qualities? What meanings do these realities have for cultural practice? How can we develop rituals that integrate design objects into specific cultural settings? What is the meaning of an architectural object? How is meaning generated through the production as well as the performance of a designed artifact? What are the implicit cultural realities of design practice?

Tackling those questions, the seminar was structured in four phases: an introductory week with lectures on knowledge production, an excursion to Japan to explore experience-based knowledge, and a phase for applying this knowledge in designing and making a 1:1 prototype of a ritualistic artifact. The seminar expands the idea of a designed object beyond its functions by exploring how cultural artefacts perform, from turning materials into forms to creating deeper meanings.

Teaching team:
Rainer Hehl (Seminar Lead), Raimund Krenmueller (Design to Fabrication)

Exhibition Design + Production:
Yuwei Zeng, Raimund Krenmueller

Students:
Cohorts 1,2 & 3 of THE BUILDING SOCIETY (MScAAD) @ HKU