During the Covid crisis , I have been confronted to the dilemma of teaching ecodesign through zoom lectures at the times of semi lockdown, while students had little access to materials and no access at all to laser cutting machines, 3D printers and so on.
I slowly let aside lecturing and went back to the basics : I opted for a sensorial experience or down to earth manual activities and lead what one could call Low tech’ design master class.
Stuck at home, with the limitation of their own wastes and basics tools: the students developed and explored: Making salad bowls in papier maché, weaving tetrapack into surfaces, building picture-frames in scavenged corrugated cardboard, creating and printing company’s identity with potatoes on rescued book pages. These are only a few examples.
To my great surprise the students were very creative using low tech’ skills (away from laser cutting machines, 3D printers etc..) acquiring real basic skills (with their hands!) through down to earth learning experiences.
Note that , for privacy/ownership reasons, these aren’t the student’s work.