Play the System

Play the System
Information Close
Book
Search

/

is a platform for parametric design in graphic design. It documents the work of students and teachers at the Department of Design at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), who are investigating the significance of the system as a conceptual model and design method under the title “Parametric Design in Graphic Design.”

Design is less about intuitive, even ingenious “strokes of genius” and more about a holistic and rule-based (systemic and systematic) process of gaining knowledge and shaping form. It is becoming increasingly important to be able to design dynamic systems that both guide and inspire the design process.

Parametric design refers to this design in and of systems—with rules, their modes of operation, and systematic manipulability. The research project, led by Prof. Heike Grebin, is an integral part of teaching and aims to raise awareness of design as a performative process.

Play the System brings together selected study projects in which the system plays an important role as a design method – whether analog or digital. The works are created in a fruitful symbiosis of theory, design, and technology. Socially relevant issues and positions from philosophy, art, and avant-garde design from around 1900 to the present day are repeatedly discussed.

Play the System is an invitation to become aware of the systemic competence of graphic design and to gain the maturity to use the tools of digital design critically.

Press F to search

How long do I sit in front of the screen? How long do I use the apps in the Social Networks, Productivity, and Creativity categories? Does a day at the screen pass quickly or slowly?

This installation shows the author's personal screen time. A day consists of three circles with three colours: White for social networks, pink for productivity, and blue for creativity. The irregular intervals between the circles answer the question ‘How long?'. When a day is over, a new day comes. The illusory effect of the circles running in a loop corresponds to the perception of time. The screen seems to swallow us up.