53 Multimedia Department’s Project Day The Department of Multimedia held its first Project Day in August, providing an opportunity for Honours students to present their practical design projects from the first semester. The event showcased a diverse range of design skills and focused on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN’s SDGs) as well as themes related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. On Friday, 10 May 2024, eight students from the Multimedia Honours group, together with lecturer Dr Lukasz Pater, visited the Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct. The trip was planned so that students could experience both the unique design aesthetic of the Constitutional Court buildings and its extensive art collection, as well as the precinct’s historically significant sites. When we arrived at the precinct, news crews were on site and access to the court buildings was blocked, as the Constitutional Court hearing of the case of former president Jacob Zuma appearing on the election ballot as the uMkhonto we Sizwe party nominee was in progress. It was a significant moment to witness a historical event unfolding in real time. Despite these restrictions, the students were still able to see the exterior of the court buildings and study Durban-based designer Garth Walker’s distinctive typeface used as signage on the court buildings. We then made our way to the Old Fort, explored its interior museum displays, and walked along its ramparts, which provided excellent 360-degree views of the CBD, Hillbrow, Braamfontein and Parktown. The walk also served as an opportunity for a short informal history lesson on the various architectural styles one can identify that trace Johannesburg’s growth, from the Colonial-era bank buildings of downtown CBD to the Art Deco of Hillbrow and Berea and the apartheid-era Modernism/ Brutalism of Braamfontein’s Civic Centre. From there, we made our way to the Women’s Jail, where the elegant buildings and serene atmosphere contrast one’s visceral experience of the severe and inhumane conditions under which female prisoners were kept. The trip was a welcome variation on the Honours groups’ regular routine of classroom activities and an opportunity to engage with the rich heritage of our city. This engagement also aligned with the direction of several of the students’ research projects, which include a Joburg-based ‘Streetfighter’-style game and a documentary on Apartheidera migrations. These and other Honours projects will be showcased at the endof-year FADA Student Exhibition. Highlights from the Multimedia Project Day Students showcased several projects, including interactive educational games developed as part of a physical computing unit. These games aimed to enhance learning experiences within a South African context by integrating real-world data through a variety of sensors. By using Arduinos, students developed engaging and interactive educational products. Students engaged in thorough planning, conducted detailed research, and documented their processes comprehensively. One of the other projects featured projective design. Students were tasked with imagining how emerging technologies could be utilised over the next 30 years to address one of the UN’s SDGs. Students created design fictions grounded in research and data, exploring the potential societal impacts of specific technologies. This approach encouraged them to propose innovative solutions for future design challenges. The final products demonstrated how technology can effectively support educational objectives while showcasing a blend of creativity and technical proficiency. The event was well attended by students and staff and attracted interest from other departments. The Graphic Design Department took part in the showcase, and other departments showed interest in joining the next Project Day. The event’s success instils a sense of optimism that Project Day will become a recurring event in the Faculty’s calendar going forward.
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