From the chair

Designers have one of the most important jobs in the world, because it is impossible to exist without being subjected to the creations of designers. We ride cars or bicycles, wear clothing; live and work in rooms filled with tools and furniture and objects that stimulate us, and all these things have specific design implications. What's exciting is that our students learn to become finely attuned to the dynamics of the wider world in which these designs are situated, both the dimensions of that world that they perceive in their imagination, and those that exist in reality. Investigating these design realms in tandem with the acquisition of the conceptual, practical, discursive and methodological tools they need as designers, creates opportunities to enhance the life experience of our students as individuals, community members, and professionals in their own right.

The amazing thing about our programs is that most of our students are quick to embrace our design philosophy with open arms.

A crucial area of importance in the Department of Design and Computation Arts is sustainability, explored in both theory and practice, as a triad of environmental, social, and mental ecologies. We interpret our role in advocating sustainable practice as a commitment to seek a deep understanding of the impact of the things, services, or experiences we design, on the stakeholders and the ecologies implicated by those designs. To that end, we engage in and support design collaboration across areas of knowledge ranging from the Fine Arts, to the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering. Given the impressively interdisciplinary expertise of its full-time and part-time professors, and our rich associations with other Departments and Faculties at Concordia University and beyond, the Department of Design and Computation Arts offers significant opportunities to its students, to take a holistic approach to their intended area of study. Here, they will learn the skill-sets and conceptual and experimental approaches necessary to designers, and, at the same time, come to terms with the responsibilities and the power that designers have as agents of change.

Dr. Rhona Richman Kenneally
Chair, Department of Design and Computation Arts