In November 2016 we went to China again to give C.o.c.o.i. workshops at three different universities.

The main question of this edition was ‘How to use constraints in design to challenge interpretation?’. With various assignments related to systematic design thinking, we focused on how a designer can make ‘rules’ and invite the audience to interact with the design.

Just like last year, the exhibition was accompanied by a publication which shows the projects students have been working on during the first four days of the workshop.

For this edition we decided to approach the construction of the publication itself as a system as well: a system in which the participants of the workshop were invited to show their work within the given boundaries.

The ingredients of our system:

1. We taped a frame on a white wall in the photo studio
2. Participants of the workshop were invited to show their work in or 'around' the frame – the frame is displayed on the exact same spot on every page. They were free to do everything, as long as the form of presentation fits to their work.
3. We made photographs; one photo per student for one page per student.
4. After a bit of retouching we placed the photographs in the publication, where the frame is leading, but placed to the left.
5. Finally, the space to the right – which was kept empty during photographing the works – was filled with additional contect providing information about the school, student and work.

We’ve executed this process thrice, once for each university – and we’re very happy with the results. Not only because of the final outcome but even more because the process and construction are as important. 

Besides the unique works produced by the students, we also created covers which are unique to the schools we visited, as the ingredients for the covers were elements found at the schools in or around the photo studio, thus also giving some insight to where the publication was photographed.
Additionally, the publications were printed and bound at local print-shops, which for us added even more of a 'local' production feeling to the publication.

This publication was made in collaboration with Yi Shu, our partner for C.o.c.o.i. China.