The KIKK15 conference was an interesting event which somehow open up my mind to art. It’s more natural for me to think that design must be pragmatic, useful and goal oriented, but now I’ve seen that design can be related with fun and art. There were many studios or individuals who promoted their work, but I took it as a chance to expand my knowledge. 

Two particularly conferences kept my attention, despite the fact that every conference brought some valuable insights. From Tim Hunkin, an inventor from UK, I learned that even if an idea is simple, the process can be really fun. It is better to think to implementation from the beginning, to have a raw idea from the start, because sometimes you can advance with the prototype very quickly and you may find yourself then stuck in the implementation. 

And he rememberd me that the more degrees of freedom the concept has the more  complicated to use becomes. I really enjoyed the presentation because the videos presented gave me a concrete example on how to use videos and also because he showed different stages of prototyping. He was really honest by telling us about how sometimes he doesn’t know the evolution of a project, but he enjoys experimenting prototyping with materials and things. 

Moniker studio from Netherlands showed and explained an interesting method of collaboratively design, by giving away control to design and people while building on each other’s idea. Using their method for group working is also about finding a balance between freedom and limitations. In a way this idea of her about collaboratively working it Drawing exercise, Moniker was on my mind but I couldn’t express it, so I’m looking forward to apply these methods in the next projects. Moniker studio even wrote a book with exercises for stimulation of collaboration called “Conditional Design Workbook”, which I find it very useful and practical. 

How is Brussels? Well, it worths a city break for sure. The Grand Place, The Mannekin Pis, The Royal Palace, The European Commission, The Atomium, are interesting to see. This the only thing I saw in one day, with the mention that you can't climb the atomium after 5:30 pm :(. In the Grand Place you can participate at free guided tours, the one we took was about three hours walking and was pretty good. If I say two things I didn't like in Brussels would be that is not a clean city, and I do not feel safe alone on the streets after dark. Disclaimer: that is the first impression after one day of walking through the city and it could change in the future.

In Namur, I didn't have time to visit but of course I get 'lost' a bit and walked near the canal. It get me the impression of an rustic city.

Now, how was the conference? The main conferences were held in Theatre of  Namur, a fantastic building, where I spent the most of my time. 

The KIKK15 conference was an interesting event which somehow open up my mind to art. It’s more natural for me to think that design must be pragmatic, useful and goal oriented, but now I’ve seen that design can be related with fun and art. There were many studios or individuals who promoted their work, but I took it as a chance to expand my knowledge.