On Thursday 10th September our creative cohort of Year 11 pupils studying GCSE Design & Technology visited the Design Museum in Kensington.
They were looking at the good design wall and the designer/user/maker displays and thinking about how much we take for granted in the design of the every day items we use.
This provoked discussion around how technology, target user requirements, comfort, safety and developments in new materials drive innovation and good design. This links to the development of our pupils design portfolios which they started working on in June and also our own design wall (outside D2) in school which our pupils and Design & Technology team have contributed to.
Pupils also participated in a 60 minute workshop about designing with sustainability at the centre of the design process. They especially enjoyed handling new materials such as Pinatex , a vegan leather type of material made from the husks of pineapple waste. Other materials included Gum-Tec made from recycling waste chewing gum – which we agreed we could harvest from the underside of our desks in school and Plasticiet which produces a terrazzo-type material from recycled plastic.
The third part of our visit was visiting an exhibition showcasing the work of Japanese designer Nigo who brought street style to the mainstream. Pupils enjoyed looking at his extensive archive and collections of objects which spanned multiple cultures and genres including the recreation of his teenage bedroom. This provoked reflection on their own collections, interests and influences. We talked about inspiration coming from everywhere just at the point where pupils will begin their own idea generation for their NEA (non-exam assessment) so this was a valuable opportunity to reflect on this.
Back in the classroom, we reflected on the value of what we’d experienced and most pupils said they especially enjoyed the Nigo exhibition and thinking about where inspiration comes from.
You can see our very talented pupils design portfolios and prototypes of the products they make in our annual GCSE DT showcase in the spring.