After the many months of slow application forms, total bewilderment of subject selections and slight anxiety over pitiful savings in the bank, It was surreal to arrive
In Eindhoven 3 days ago. To be honest, TU/e wasn’t my first choice – TU Delft was, however after the past few days I could not be happier at how things turned out.
Arriving here 2 months of adventures in Spain, Italy, Norway and Denmark, it is safe to say I was a little nervous. Not at the living far away part, or at being in a foreign culture, more at the work I was about to take part in at uni. Studying industrial design, I knew TU/e had a very different stance than UTS. I’m in my third year of industrial in Sydney and while many assignments cause all nighters in the DAB labs I was at least use to the structure and way of thinking required. Coming here I knew eindhoven was another story, having read subject descriptions where you build lighting installations based on human interactions for example. Far from the logical brief where you find a solution and make a hand held product, this was weird. Very conceptual, a little loopy.
Anyway, I started this bizarre course on Friday thinking I would be completely out of my depth in not only skills but way of thinking. Being a more practical person I knew this was a side I had to work on, and felt inadequate as a result. Design was ingrained into this amazing culture. It turns out my nerves weren’t required and I ended up having one of the most inspiring lessons I’ve had at university. While it was odd (we had to race down a long room to win cake at one point), how they thought about design and it’s future seemed extremely logical and intelligent, taking a more wholistic approach in the education of their design students. I’m not saying UTS has it wrong – if I had of come here straight out of high school I probably would have cried and left design forever, but after a couple of years of practical thinking I think I’m ready.
My first task is to design a system and device allowing group music improvisation. This may seem useless to some it’s the thought behind it that is really inspiring. I’m incredibly excited for what is to come – scary learning, totally new skills, much travelling and so many new people thinking in this brilliant way.
Nicola Charlesworth
Leave a comment