PRESENT
How I integrated the expertise areas in my FMP
FINAL MASTER PROJECT
My Final Master Project, Woven Dialogues, is a demonstration of agency configuration and distribution in the design, construction, and use of a digital loom. I researched how my design decisions, assumptions, expectations, and other agencies shaped the agency that later emerges during the weaving process. By designing the loom to interrupt, resist, and deviate from expected behaviour, interaction shifted from instruction-following toward a more dialogical relation between weaver and machine. Through reflective note-taking, photo documentation, and weaving sessions with experienced weavers, I found that failure and breakdown in the making process of the loom allowed for agency to become most perceptible.​​
BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
For the purpose of academic education and development, I took a lens of agency to develop an innovative loom. And while the loom is not a viable commercial product at this moment, it is a first of its kind in its design and functionality, and could be a great starting point for developing it towards a marketable product. Through designing and building this loom (T&R), I showed my skill of thinking differently, which is at the basis of innovation. While this does not align with the conventional view of this expertise area, this project did allow me to dive into the history of the loom and better understand how economic values shape the loom as we know it today.
CREATIVITY & AESTHETICS
This expertise area is included in the approach of my research (D&RP) as I looked beyond the aesthetics and looks of my prototype, to design and investigate the relationship between the machine and the weaver. By not having a fixed plan for building my loom, I actively invited nonhumans to partake in the design process, letting their aesthetics become part of my work. Documenting my first-person perspective through note-taking and photos (MD&C) offered a basis for my iterations and design decisions. Prototyping was a big part of my project, and allowed me to iterate on my concept. Through making (T&R), the aesthetics of my loom emerged, and I developed systems such as the mechanism to stretch the warp threads to dive deeper into my research question.
MATH, DATA & COMPUTING
I started this project with the plan to include sensor data into my loom. Through my making process (T&R) and my first-person perspective (D&RP), I noticed that this approach added complexity that was not relevant to the research question. And so, I shifted away from this and looked for more meaningful data that fit the research.
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My notes, photos, and interview data added their own complexity to this project. Data in this project were situated and emergent. This project challenged me to adopt the right methods and analytical lenses to process this data properly in order to answer my research question (D&RP). While this does not frame this expertise area in the conventional way, it does align with my PIV.
TECHNOLOGY & REALIZATION
My FMP involved a lot of complexity for me. While I consider myself a skilled maker, I had planned a technically difficult project for myself. I used my PDP goals to help myself break down the different goals I had, such as making at least three iterations, learning Fusion360, and aiming for an exhibition-level prototype. My planning helped enormously to acquire the skills needed to realize this complex loom. It was therefore not only a project to bring all my skills and knowledge together, but I also continued to learn new skills. My attitude towards this helped, and allowed me to learn through making. I developed programming skills in Arduino IDE and Processing 4, designed the 3D loom in Illustrator to prepare laser cut files, designed mechanical systems and electronic circuits, and learned Fusion360 to make my models for 3D printing.
USER & SOCIETY
As part of my PDP, I had set the goal to invite experienced weavers to interview and conduct weaving sessions (D&RP) to look beyond my perspective and to challenge my assumptions. This helped me to better understand the context I was designing in and for. This is also particularly relevant for my PIV. Through making the loom and paying attention to agency, I learned about the complexity and relationality of the human, materials, tools, and machines (T&R). I actively let nonhuman agency shape my process and the aesthetics of my loom (C&A). By documenting and mapping my process, I hope to have offered a clear demonstration of agency configuration and distribution that is valuable for the academic community.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
During my FMP semester, I was in good control of my planning. My FMP proposal offered a guide that provided structure. The PDP goals and my PIV contributed to this by helping me decide what to focus on and what to prioritize.
Working with the weavers forced me to present myself and my project in a professional way. Having the experience of DDW and Material District, I have become more confident in doing so.
DESIGN AND RESEARCH PROCESSES
My FMP allowed me to independently structure and execute a Research-through-Design project. I have further improved my skills in autobiographical design, documentation, and academic writing. The sessions with the weavers brought me new insights into how to carry out a semi-structured interview, and how to use their expertise in combination with my observations and reflections. Through a thematic analysis, I brought this rich set of data together to answer my research question.
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND VISION
My PIV focuses on how we must understand the complexity of the things we design and the systems in which we design, and how design is never neutral or human-only. As in my previous projects, my FMP foregrounded again that making can be a way of dealing with complex concepts. By making tangible things, I can better reflect on the theories I address. My FMP and PIV, therefore, informed each other.