Unfolding the material: A proposal of a multi-sensory experience oriented material exhibition medium

Abstract

Experience with a product or a space occurs via different interfaces and one of those, perhaps the most significant one, is the material. Sensory properties of materials along with technical ones are essential inputs during the material selection process in design. This leads to the necessity of material exhibition platforms specifically configured for design students and novice designers, where material properties can be observed through experiencing, and experimenting. Thus, a multimodal reasoning process can be generated which would enhance design thinking. Through its theoretical and experimental phases, this study aims to develop the fundamental considerations and propose a model for a multi-sensory material exhibition medium where both tangible and intangible characteristics of materials can be observed, and interacted with, thus inducing hands-on learning. The study further aims to propose a material information system where quantitative and qualitative information are given in a visual representation layout. By adopting a participatory mindset, two workshops (15 + 10 days) were conducted with architecture faculty students, thus enabling audience opinion during the design of systems and transformation of material properties into scalar data and diagrams. The results and the merits of the proposed exhibition medium are presented and the educational implications are discussed.