Fashion, Photography, Games + Interactivity
Digital Materialities
A pilot project exploring Transdisciplinary Collaboration across Fashion, Photography and Digital Design in Higher Education
Ricarda Bigolin
Associate Professor, Associate Dean Fashion and Textiles Design
Associate Professor, Associate Dean Fashion and Textiles Design
Chantal Kirby
Lecturer - Fashion Design
Lecturer - Fashion Design
Alison Bennett
Associate Dean Photography
Associate Dean Photography
Pia Johnson
Program Manager, Masters of Photography
Stephanie Andrews
Program Manager, Master of Animation, Games, and Interactivity
Program Manager, Masters of Photography
Stephanie Andrews
Program Manager, Master of Animation, Games, and Interactivity
The Digital Materialities Project was a transdisciplinary pilot project between students and staff from RMIT Master of Fashion Design, Master of Photography, and the Master of Animation, Games and Interactivity. Working with industry partner Splice Boys with funding from RMIT Adobe Campus, students collaborated to create 3D scans of models wearing designs by students in their final semester of the Master of Fashion Design.
Resources
Problem Statement
What would happen if we created transdisciplinary teams within a higher education teaching and learning environment?
Project Overview
This project was integrated with the curriculum across three different schools and disciplines at the postgraduate master level. Students worked in collaborative teams to design and realise a digital artifact outcome, integrating fashion, photography and animation/games. Each cohort of student was enrolled in a separate course within their discipline structure and assessed within that existing course. Class activities included learning the fundamentals of photogrammetry and digital materiality, visiting an industry partner and learning about their professional process, and then designing and completing a project using the knowledge and facilities gained from working with the industry partner. The project included lectures, self-directed student learning, and work integrated learning activities.
3D digital models photogrammetry model featuring fashion design by Yiwei Ju as part of the Digital Materialities project
Emergent Outcomes
The aim of this project was to explore how to integrate aligned but different discipline methodologies and pedagogies. By placing students in mixed teams to undertake a project that utilized common technologies, in this case photogrammetry, they learnt to negotiate these discipline cultural specificities in a way that reflected industry practice.
Potential outcomes include an exhibition of the 3d scans of the final semester fashion designs via:
> webXR augmented reality platform
> webXR virtual reality environment
> interactive data-projection
> interactive web content
Digital Capability Building
The focus of this project was to test a pedagogical model for exploring intersecting disciplines, rather than using technology to develop curriculum content. The focus was on an approach to technology as a creative platform, rather than teaching how to use a specific platform.
Key Learnings
> Centrality of knowledge and file management
> Uneven collaboration skills & practices
> Differing methodologies & priorities
> Significant professional development
> Strong potential for innovation & novelty
Student work
Strong potential for innovation and novelty: Nattha Dhamabuttru Reimagine History on Vimeo
Cyber Pop Noir is an experimental game environment interactive walkthrough experience that features the creator, Nattha Dhamabuttru, as the main playable avatar that users inhabit to explore the landscape
