We wrapped up the Design History class, part one, with critiques of the Peace Bridges, which were finished; the chairs, which were at the scale model stage; and the Viewpoints posters, which were earlier in process. We’ll pick up the last couple of projects next quarter and add a few more for Design History part two, The Inferno.

The esteemed critique panel included Preeti Ayyangar, Anne Elser, and Nicole Riekki, each instructor noted for her highly conceptual thinking. We spent four hours together, instructors and 15 students, recapping the quarter’s process and progress and celebrating the projects.

The bridge models, which took between 25 and 48 hours to build (working in teams, no less!), were presented first. The Peace Bridge project is one of the most challenging projects at the school, running neck and neck with the chair assignment. (That the students must do the two projects in tandem seems inconceivable to some). Students work in groups to create a bridge that will serve both as a memorial to the veterans of WWII and a metaphor for peace itself.

For the project to be successful, it’s crucial that everyone in a group agree on a definition of peace, which is just the beginning of the struggle these teams face. Emotions tend to run high as they practice the give-and-take of collaboration, starting with the conceptual stages and ending with the elbow-to-elbow of actual construction, so that when it’s all over, they actually experience a sense of peace.

The hard work paid off as the panel members, who were obviously moved by the projects, praised the teams for their strong concepts and beautiful executions.

Then it was on to the chairs, which will be discussed more in depth next quarter, as they are finessed and built.

All in all, a most excellent quarter.

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