“Everything is Design” at RDG’s 2020 Kaneko Creative Camp Session
Participants from across the country joined this virtual event to explore the idea that design is all around us, found in color, material and the built environment.
Every summer, the Kaneko in Omaha, Nebraska hosts a series of camps aimed at connecting middle school students with local professionals in STEAM- and creativity-related fields. During each five-day camp, participants delve deeper into the design process and its real-world applications, participating in a variety of engaging activities.
To help ensure the safety of the creative community and to support all students and parents managing this challenging time, the KANEKO moved the 2020 Creative Camps to an online model and made the virtual events free for all students.
RDG has been participating in Kaneko’s Creative Camps since 2013. The firm’s 2020 offering, “Everything is Design” took place on June 22-26, and provided an all-encompassing introduction to the fundamentals of architecture and design. The concept of this year’s camp stemmed from Sou Fujimoto’s ideas of open-field architecture and his installation at the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennale “Architecture is Everywhere.” Students investigated design principles through a range of mediums: figure-ground compositions explored a literal translation of these design principles, while collages allowed for students to integrate color theory and narrative storytelling.
“The final project looks at combining the skills and ideas learned over the week into a physical model composed of found objects,” said RDG Architectural Intern Adam Wiese, who helped lead the camp. “‘The City of Found Form’ allowed students to think and make simultaneously with no predetermined plan, leading to unexpected encounters between objects, space and people.”
Throughout the week, participants explored the idea that design is all around us; when viewed from an architectural point of view, ordinary objects and arrangements of objects create unexpected architectural forms. Camp participants tested this theory to develop a wide range of work including axonometric drawings, watercolor paintings, collages and physical models. Students across the country from Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Nevada and Nebraska were able to virtually collaborate, bringing their unique personalities and backgrounds together as they shared concepts and ideas about their work.