The Expanding Classroom « Jonathan Olivares Design Research

The Expanding Classroom

Students of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Jonathan Olivares Design Research
Danese Milano
April 2009

As part of SAIC’s Industry Partners Studio led by Dr. Bruce M. Tharp, fourteen students from the Designed Objects program worked under a theme set by Jonathan Olivares to explore contemporary contexts of education and make a series of accessories for Danese Milano. SAIC’s philosophy of a critical and re-imagined approach to design resonated perfectly as Olivares set the premise that established desk accessories have lost their relevance, and urged the class to explore unsolved problems surrounding today’s work activities. During two meetings at SAIC the participants discussed Danese’s particular culture, the products that JODR designed for the brand, the students’ research and their initial prototypes. Danese’s president, Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Olivares and SAIC faculty gave the students feedback on their work as they developed their projects in preparation for this exhibit. The results are surprising, relevant and humorous; a pillow for laptop naps, a tray that saves our keyboards and laptops from destructive coffee spills, and a backpack station, that converts a bag into a piece of furniture. The strength of the students’ prototypes can be assessed in this exhibit by JODR, where they are displayed in a mock dorm room alongside Danese furniture.

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