Creating Interactive Objects for Post-Pandemic Life

POLISH DESIGN SUMMER SCHOOL

Isfahan & Tehran, Iran | 2022

Creating Interactive Objects for Post-Pandemic Life

Imagine arriving at a shelter after a long hike along the Tochal ridge overlooking Tehran. Captivated by the warm ambience of a fireplace in the center of a table, you join other hikers sitting there. The warmth of the place and friendly conversations gradually saturate your soul with the feeling of time recovered. The true place, real people and live, spontaneous conversations with strangers. Whatever the greatness of our illusion, the fact remains that in our daily routines these hearty encounters are disappearing, replaced by electronic interfaces of different sorts. And it was this exact desire to restore the right proportions of human interaction that brought Isfahani students – the participants of the 2022 Polish Design Summer School – to the practical realization of this idea by merging two symbols of human physical proximity – fire and table.

The Summer School was jointly organized by Embassy of Poland in Tehran, University of Tehran (UT), and Safavi House Cultural Centre in Isfahan. Workshops led by Polish and Iranian researchers and designers Dr. Joanna Jurga and Fater Saadat Niaki focused on addressing post-pandemic challenges such as anxiety and loneliness. In response, Tehrani and Isfahani students brought forward many practical ideas on how to physically bring people together. I cordially invite you to have a look at these designs.

I also recommend the article about Polish-Iranian cooperation on industrial design by Dr. Jurga and Mr. Saadat Niaki followed by an opinion by two professors from Tehran University, the Director of

Industrial Design Department Mr. Jamshied Emami and Dr. Alireza Ajdari.

Embassy of Poland in Tehran not only participated in these initiatives but also donated a CNC wood cutting machine to the workshop of the Department of Industrial Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts, at the University of Tehran. The endowment was financed by Polish Foreign Ministry from development cooperation fund.

The Embassy also partnered with Tehran University to publish an academic handbook on “Furniture Design”, written by Prof. Dr. Jerzy Smardzewski. I trust that these contributions will be of practical value.

The final venture for 2022 realized jointly by the Embassy and Tehran University was an online workshop discussing the rehabilitation of children with neurological illnesses. Students who attended the workshop were tasked with the invention of tools (toys) to be used in the rehabilitation of young patients, and the results of their work will be published next year. This project is a spin-off of the project ‘Children of Isfahan’, which provided training for Iranian pediatric neurosurgeons in Poland in 2022, realized under the Polish development cooperation.

Polish-Iranian cooperation in industrial design is growing – each year new ideas emerge, new chapters are opened, synergies between projects are built, and workable solutions for practical human needs are coined. We are happy to provide Iranian students with the knowledge and skills to help them bring about a real difference in our lives.

DESIGN ACROSS BORDERS: The Iran story

Collaboration:

1. Institute of Industrial Design, Warsaw, Poland

2. Embassy of Poland in Tehran, Iran – Irena Kołakowska-Fałkowska

3. University of Tehran, Iran – Maryam Khalili, PhD

4. Safavi House & Ivan Cultural Group Isfahan, Iran

Abstract:

The aim of this article is to present the history of Polish-Iranian cultural exchanges in the field of design. We present both the historical relations of trade exchanges between these two countries and the contemporary cooperation aimed at educating the young generation of designers, preparing them for global problem solving such as social isolation, war, climate crisis, or migration. We believe that, in this period of dynamic sociopolitical and climatic change, learning across borders forms an important foundation for the design of solutions that could potentially make our lives easier.

Index:

1. Historical outline of Polish-Iranian cooperation in culture and design

2. Resumption of Polish-Iran ian cooperation – bent furniture with carpets

3. Synesthetic design and sensory objects / design of objects for living in isolation

4. Polish Design Summer Schools 2021 and 2022

5. Learning in the context of working across borders

6. Further cooperation plan

1. Historical outline of Polish-Iranian cooperation in culture and design

Poland and Persia (the official name of the country before 1935) enjoyed amicable relations for more than four centuries. Safavid Persia and Poland favored a respectful and culturally active exchange of products and services, as a result of having a common adversary: the expansionist Ottoman Empire. The very first Polish envoy, Armenian merchant Sefer Muratowicz, arrived in Safavid, Persia with a specific mission: to buy carpets for the Polish Court. This marked the beginning of the Polish admiration of Persian art, and specifically Persian carpets.

Polish delegations and merchants visited Safavid Persia several times with the purpose of buying Isfahan and Kashan silk and wool rugs. Generally of pristine quality, some of these rugs featured golden and silver embroidery. Many of the rugs that once decorated the mansions of Polish aristocrats survived until the 19th century, when the whole of Europe was rife with the appreciation of oriental rugs. Poland was one of the gateways used to introduce Persian rugs to Europe. Given the apparent Polish source of these rugs, a common pseudonym of “Polonaise tapisserie” was used in Europe until much later when their true origin was revealed with the back-story of their journey from Safavid Persia to Poland.

During the 18th and 19th century, several Polish diplomatic envoys visited and were stationed in Persia for an extended period of time. To mention but a few: Aleksander Chodźko, a Polish poet and Russian consul in Rasht, Ignacy Pietraszewski, the first Polish translator of holy Zoroastrian scripture, and Karol Bohdanowicz, the pioneer geologist who conducted a first survey of Khorasan mountain range in North East Persia.

The later ‘formal’ establishment of diplomatic ties only reinstated the already existing relations between Iran and Poland. After it regained independence in 1918, the reestablished state of Poland signed a Treaty of Friendship with Persia in 1927.

The period between World Wars I and II was a time of renewing and strengthening bilateral business relations. Polish businessmen showed a strong interest in trading with their Iranian counterparts, especially in industries such as glassware, food processing, textile and furniture. The amount of Polish citizens living in Iran led to the establishment of an association for the Polish Diaspora by Dr. Feliks Mielczarski, the founder of the School of Dentistry (Stomatology) at the University of Tehran. The mutual interactions between Iran and Poland marked a new chapter in the advent of the arrival of 116,000 refugees from Siberia and Central Asia in 1942-43. This was considered the largest European exodus

through Iran. The story began after the joint invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939, when Eastern Poland came under Soviet occupation. Soviet authorities carried out mass deportations of Polish citizens to labor camps and areas of forced settlement in Siberia. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Western allies offered to help the Soviets. A PolishSoviet military pact, after which an “amnesty” for detained Polish citizens was proclaimed, and a Polish Army in the USSR established under the command of General Władysław Anders. He was one of the few Polish officers who survived Soviet repressions. The Polish Army began to form in southern Russia. Tens of thousands of Poles, soldiers, women and children headed towards the new Army bases from all parts of the Soviet Union. The Army was not given food supplies, uniforms, and arms. Consequently, between March 1942 and January 1943, it was evacuated from the USSR to Iran – about 77,000 troops and 39,000 civilians (including 18,000 children). This was the largest exodus of former prisoners of labor camps to leave the borders of the USSR during the Stalinist period.

The military personnel from the General Wladyslaw Anders army quickly evacuated to Iraq and Palestine, later taking part in the battles of Monte Cassino, in Ancona and Bologna (Italy). However, Polish civilians remained in Iran for much longer, some for a lifetime. They married Iranians and established a small Polish community in Iran.

Amongst the civilian refugees, there were craftsmen and artisans who had previously worked in the furniture manufacturing facilities in Poland. There is an anecdote from a Polish artisan that is narrated by Isfahani and Tabrizi carpenters about learning the secrets of steam bending of turned wooden rods in hot tubes. They were taught to shape the bent frame of the back support for a Thonet No.14 café chair. Since their instructor was Polish, the misnomer: “Polish chair” or transliterated form: “Sandaliye Lahestani” in Farsi, was developed and proceeded to be the collective name for any bent wood furniture, even bent-wood emulated shapes.

The enduring appeal of Thonet design, combined with the Polish involvement in their introduction to Iran, makes “Polish chair” a common term in everyday conversations in the furniture market in Iran. These chairs never went out of fashion and have always been associated with the intellectual debates that tend to take place in city center cafés, where artists and writers gather. Whenever there is a renovation project of any old building, the “Polish chair” is almost certainly considered one of the options for furnishing the premises after the reconstruction is concluded.

2. Resumption of Polish-Iranian cooperation – bent furniture with carpets

The lasting impression of the Polish chair story, and the deep historical connection that it had with one of the most compassionate moments of the two nations’ recent history, brought about the realization of yet another collaboration between Polish and Iranian intellectuals.

This time the story began when a furniture and interior design studio, Behman in Tehran, was commissioned to furnish a part of the recently renovated Polish Residence in Tehran. The fact that the founder and design-lead of Behman has an academic background, and worked as a guest lecturer at the University of Tehran, led to the review of the story of “Polish chair” and its association with Polish refugees. Since the 80th anniversary of hosting Polish refugees in Iran was to be celebrated in 2022, it was decided that a commemorative furniture design project be assigned to the industrial design students of the School of Fine Arts in the University of Tehran.

The 2020 project was titled: “Cultural Heritage, Modern Values, and Practical Application: furniture design inspired by Iranian and Polish cultures”. The aim of this project was not only to commemorate the Polish cultural and technical contributions to

Iranian industry and craft, but also to review the historical synopses that the two nations had in their previous cultural exchanges, namely the earlier story of Persian-Polonaise carpets. Interestingly, the students conducted a broad and thorough review, from Polish and Iranian folklore to modern arts, which further contributed to the enrichment of the project and designs. Unfortunately, the original scope of the project involving Iranian and Polish students of design did not materialize due to the outbreak of the global pandemic. Despite the continuous lockdowns, travel restrictions, and other major hindrances, the momentum for the project never halted and, albeit on a smaller scale, was concluded by the end of 2020. Of the 11 designs that were shortlisted for the exhibition, five were built by Behman design studio as functional prototypes. We hope to showcase them at the Lodz Design Festival and at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw. The furniture pieces featured bent-wood frames with some Iranian twists, such as a closed-loop frame that was designed to be a make-shift rug attachment loom for its seating surface. Other designs included Polish textile dyeing color schemes juxtaposed with Iranian architectural elements.

3. Synesthetic design and sensory objects /design of objects for living in isolation

The world as we know it is constantly changing and what seemed impossible three years ago has now become part of our reality. We are facing new human experiences, advanced technologies, and geopolitical scenarios. Some of these changes happened slowly over time, while others occurred surprisingly fast.

One of the consequences of the fast pace of life, and global circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is a transfer of significant parts of our lives into the virtual world, to which we, as complex and multi-sensory creatures, are not yet accustomed. The limiting of sensory stimuli to sight and smell, refraining from haptic experiences, and the growing individualization of our societies, has led to an alarming deterioration of the mental and physical condition of humanity as a whole. “Ocularcentrism is a poorer experience of the world. The domination of sight and suppression of the other senses pushes us towards exclusion, isolation, and superficiality”, emphasizes Juhani Pallasmaa.

Synesthetic design attempts to engage all the human senses at the same time. By doing this, the most common sense, sight, which provides 80% of our information about the surrounding world, can be complimented by the sense of hearing, touch, smell, and taste. As Jinsop Lee explains in his TED talk: “The theory of five senses is not only a useful tool to assess different experiences. It also allows for using the best possible experiences in design projects. Good design looks extraordinary. So why not make it smell, sound, or taste equally good?”

Therefore, making students aware of the importance of a multi-sensory approach to design, and encouraging them to use it in their projects, is extremely important. Projects that engage users on a neurological level are able to support them with struggles, such as mood disorders, anxiety, isolation or migration. Design alone will not solve global problems. However, educating designers to create solutions that are scientifically based gives us the opportunity to contribute to the solution.

4. POLISH DESIGN SUMMER SCHOOL 2021

We had the immense pleasure of working on a series of lectures and a project called “Polish Design Summer School 2021: Design in support of human well-being with regard to isolation and reduced social interactions”, in cooperation with the Institute of Industrial Design (Poland), Embassy of Poland in Tehran, and the Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran. Our goal was to introduce the concept of synesthetic design, as well as encourage students to view their clients not only as consumers, but primarily as sentient beings.

We invited top Polish professionals specializing in human senses to address the students. Kama Wybieralska (Aurora Studio) spoke about the importance of lighting. Justyna Puchalska focused on the 5th element of design, which is technology. Aleksandra Pawlowska explained that smell is the world’s oldest sense, and Maria Przybyszewska introduced us to the sense of taste. The whole series of lectures was an extremely significant experience for my colleagues and me, as the students were engaged, prepared, and determined to understand these topics.

During our collaboration, the students of University of Tehran demonstrated their creativity and sensitivity in designing objects that engage the senses. Their ideas were well thought out, socially engaged, and solve genuine human needs. The entire process was

conducted under the supervision of the dean, Maryam Khalili, who offered great support to both sides. We are grateful to both Mrs. Khalili and Mrs. Irena Kolakowska-Falkowska from the Polish Embassy, who proposed the idea and executed a flawless plan to bring together design across borders.

Over 30 students participated in the online classes. At the end of the project, the best 8 concepts were selected, prototypes were created, and they were presented in the form of an exhibition and catalog. Projects proposed by students during Polish Design Summer School 2021 demonstrate how important it is for us to be in relationships (HOZOUR by Fatemeh Tohidifar), to maintain physical touch (KENAAR by Negal Alimohammadi or MALU by Danial Tolouei Aznave), and connect with culture (ETHEREALITY by Fateme ShakouriRad). They also exemplified our human need for communication (DUGI-PEN-FRIEND by Amin Masoudi). The catalogue of the 2021 PDSS published by the Embassy of Poland and Tehran University is available online.

The exhibition was on display on:

● 9-16 May 2022 in Hozeh Hoonari, Isfahan, Iran

● 14-17 June 2022 in Safavi House, Isfahan, Iran

● 19-30 June 2022 in Tehran Gallery of the University of Tehran, Iran

Edition 2022

When the borders reopened in 2022, we decided to continue the Polish Design Summer School and hosted over 70 students at workshops in Iran. Joanna Jurga and Fater Saadat Niaki presented a 3-day workshop entitled: “Challenge: applying synesthetic design principles to the creation of objects that will respond to the needs of post-pandemic life”. The workshops, held in the third week of June, took place in two locations: at Safavi House in Isfahan under the flag of Ivan Cultural Group, where participants were representatives of both design and architecture faculties, and at the Tehran University, where students came from design department. 2022 summer school edition resulted in the design of 10 objects by the students for use in public spaces, which will compel the users to enjoy real, interpersonal interactions.

One of the concepts was for use in airports, providing children an opportunity to make new friends and

giving them something to do while their parents wait for their luggage. Another was for use in children’s wards in hospitals, offering a fun and relaxing distraction from the hardships of treatment. One project invites today’s digital nomads to connect around a fire. Students also introduced the idea of sensory paths in parks and street furniture conducive to integration, for example, at universities. As part of the workshops, we also searched for solutions for swimming pools, prisons, and libraries. Together, the students observed the need to create solutions that integrate and enhance communication in the real world. They also drew attention to the problem of alienation, and shared their experiences with difficulties in functioning in a group. We decided to prototype the selected projects and exhibit them in 2023.

5. Learning in the context of working across borders

We are confident that, as lecturers, we should share knowledge, mental flexibility, and an interdisciplinary approach with our students. This will enable them to easily adapt to the constantly changing world. Multicultural projects such as “Polish Design Summer School” are a great start. We believe that, as designers, researchers, and entrepreneurs, we should do everything in our power to make

DESIGN ACROSS BORDERS (DAB)

The main idea behind DAB is to bring design awareness to various corners of the world, using the knowledge and experience of lecturers and students all around the globe. Science that includes intercultural and trans-ethnic understanding is the foundation for finding solutions to global problems, such as armed conflicts, migration, climate change, and environmental crises.

6. Further cooperation plan

Our plan is to foster historical Polish-Iranian design relations, demonstrating the effects of our cooperation, and to promote Iranian design in Poland. Apart from student projects, we wish to showcase Iranian craftsmanship that uses traditional local methods to create contemporary functional forms, and embrace the trend of creating objects using local resources and raw materials without needing to transport them over long distances. This way we can

information about the user’s sense of security, the biological mechanisms of human bodies, and our overall functioning, more accessible. This way future generations will easily design beautiful objects that are also environmentally friendly. These types of designs will help us to grow and develop, rather than merely survive.

DAB is about building relationships and friendships, while learning to work in interdisciplinary teams in a world of constant change. DAB hopes to send lecturers to schools in the farthest corners of the globe to help create curricula, share knowledge, and organize workshops and student exchanges. We also want to show the works of young designers from less visible regions of the world on the international stage.

prove that countries such as Iran, often overlooked when thinking about contemporary design, have a lot to offer in the international arena. Our goal is to advance the idea of DAB globally, not just in shortterm collaborations but also in the development of long-term projects, allowing for the modernization of the existing structures of design science, the creation of long-distance relationships, and the mutual benefit of intellectual exchange.

Reconsidering the Role of Design in the Context of Intercultural Exchange

This note is dedicated to all those who did their best to abandon cultural biases and minimize distances, and paid the price for such a mission with their life, their fame and their creativity; to those who tried to reach shared and common emotions, empathy and sympathy, which is beyond shared language.

As Rumi said:

“Shared emotions are greater than a shared language. Shared emotion does need its own language.”

So many volunteers, on a mission for humanity, endeavored to provoke the understanding of others as a key to opening doors of communication, interaction, compromise, sharing and unity. The surprising fact is that the first stage of Design Thinking is also based on the Principle of Empathy. If you cannot feel, if you cannot feel the other and if you cannot feel the sorrow, pain or happiness of the other, then you cannot create. And that is the core message of this note: understanding of the other makes the horizon of one’s culture broader. Culture, cultural exchange and cultural interaction, is the best way to test and validate empathy, and its resilience.

What you will see later in this publication is a collection of Iranian students’ works, which were created in Summer 2022 at University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts, and in Isfahan. Assessment of their academic value, creativity and other features would be left to the reader of this catalog. The purpose of this note is to highlight the determined quest of the students and their professors to bypass the walls, or rather, biases that deprive humans of the opportunity of communicating with and understanding others. By doing this, the workshop’s participants built a bridge (Pol or in Persian) to facilitate cultural-spiritual and human exchange, and the process was more valuable than the end result. Coincidentally, the name “Poland” sounds very similar to the Persian term for a bridge – “Pol” in Farsi. This inspires us to think about Poland as a land of “Pols” or bridges, and its mission being to build bridges between unconnected regions, in this case East and West. That might be a plausible mission.

This year is the 95th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between Iran and Poland. Now this friendship has found yet another language to reveal itself: Design.

Humanity has always attempted to create a language that would not be disrupted, played with, or misunderstood. But language, in other words what is said, is not enough. We need to explore what can be done, and this would be a more effective evaluation of our dreams. This is the reason why human civilization progressed from speech to writing, and to crafting, and then designing. The joint Iranian-Polish workshops on industrial design showed that languages could be, and actually should be, improved in order to go beyond the limitations and difficulties of communication. In other words, we could explore what has not been said, could not be said, but should be said, and based on that language could be enriched and improved. All this can be discovered through design, design thinking, and especially designerly thinking.

One of the best outcomes of the Polish Design Summer School 2022 was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Embassy of Poland in Tehran and the College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, which will strengthen the partnership between Poland and Iran. Based on that, a donation has been made to the College of Fine Arts and a CNC Machine was donated to the Department of Industrial Design. We would like to convey our sincere thanks firstly to Mr. Maciej Fałkowski, Ambassador of Poland to Iran and Mrs. Irena Kołakowska-Fałkowska, Counsellor of Embassy of Poland, who made every effort to bring about this collaboration. Then we would also like to thank Dr. Hamed Mazaherian, the Dean of the College of Fine Arts, who helped and supported the Department of Industrial Design. We would also like to thank Dr. Maryam Khalili, the previous Head of the Department of Industrial Design, who has established strong connections between the Embassy and the College, introduced the concept of Polish Design Summer School, and organized exhibitions presenting the results of consecutive workshops. We would also thank Dr. Mehran Fateminia for his support during the 2022 workshop, and for acting as the Executive Secretary of previous exhibitions.

In closing, we hope that our collaboration will continue and that this act will be the beginning of a long, fruitful, and mutual partnership.

Ivan Cultural Group

Ivan is an arts and culture organization with over thirty years of experience in architecture, urban planning, industrial design and related disciplines. The Group has three branches, specializing in art, architecture and contest organization, which work together closely, and share a common work space. In its quest to improve the quality of contemporary design, while preserving the cultural and social values, the Group has organized more than 300 national and international events. These include public debates, specialized courses, educational workshops and competitions. Ivan hopes that through its work public awareness of the importance of superior architecture and design will grow.

Creativity and Architecture Museum (Safavi Historical House)

The Museum of Creativity and Architecture is an arts and culture complex located in a 400-year-old Safavi house in Jolfa neighborhood, Isfahan.

Safavi House, opened in February 2015/Bahman 1395, and is the realization of a lifelong dream to

establish a place for contemplation and creation. This is a place where the art and innovation of both young and old, Iranian and international can flourish. The complex has sucessfully drawn the attention of artists worldwide and has put the museum on the cultural map of the city of Isfahan.

The complex’s main venue is the auditorium which, together with the courtyard, can accommodate about 200 people. It is an excellent space for the social programs and cultural conferences the museum hosts, and is where most of the meetings are held. The complex also includes a bookstore, souvenir store, cafe-restaurant, and a craft store.

Safavi House has collaborated with artists, galleries, museums and embassies of other countries, including Austria, Finland, France, Mexico, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. It has also organized numerous art, design and architecture events, including “World Week” projects. More than 200 exhibitions by artists from all over Iran and abroad have taken place in “Safavi Gallery”, the hallway at the entrance to the complex. Over 3000 works have been on display in the gallery, including those of many famous artists.

PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS

Scientific Secretaries

Joanna Jurga PhD, Institute of Industrial Design (Poland)

Alireza Ajdari PhD, Professor at the Department of Industrial Design, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran (Iran)

Executive Secretaries

Fater Saadat Niaki, Behman Design

Jamshid Emami, Head of Industrial Design Department, University of Tehran

Andisheh Moshiri and Shiva Asadi, Ivan Cultural Group Isfahan

Elnaz Rajabyan, Safavi House Isfahan

Designers of Items; Participants of Polish Design Summer School in Isfahan and Tehran

1. Balancer – Ahmad Farkhondeh, Ghazal Ghafari, Masoud Khojesteh, Zahra Mohebi, Ramtin

MirmohammadSadeghi

2. Bohan – Kimia Ahmadi, Zohre Bondar Borji, Narges Fahmani Arshad, Nima Hamedi, Fateme Karim Dehnavi, Masoud Pourkhanali

3. Gobineau – Kona Yazdanfar, Fateme ShakounRad, Roya Heimi, Nima Nadernejad

4. Labyrinthine Galaxy – Nasim Borjian, Mohadeseh Ramin, Negin Yazdani, Reyhaneh Rakhtiani

5. Instrupus – Hojat Samare Kabili, Farnoosh Manteghi, Zahra Mahdvai Rad, Alireza Bouzbahani

6. Mysterious Belt – Zahra Hosseingholipour, Sana Abasian, Yasaman Goudarzi

7. One Thousand and One Nights – Reyhaneh Feili, Taha Amid, Hanie Nazari, Mojitaba Mosayebi

8. Sense Land – Media Ghaneei, Roya Mandizadeh, Milad Heidarian, Arta Ahsannezhad

Graphic concept and design: Shiva Asadi, Ivan Cultural Group

Photographs: Amir Hossain Amiri (Amiri Studio), Safavi House

Translation: Hanieh MehrMotlagh, Taraneh Kaboly

Editing: Hanieh MehrMotlagh, Laverne van Roon-Gifford

Project Coordinator: Irena Kołakowska-Fałkowska, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Tehran

December 2022

This project was co-organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Iran, Institute of Industrial Design (Poland), Ivan Group of Isfahan, and University of Tehran. Production of the exhibition was financed by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Iran.

Balancer

1. Interactions during and after Covid-19 pandemic

Changes in the way we interact after the pandemic have had a huge psychological and behavioral impact on societies. Designing items using synesthetic principles may be a solution to this problem. We were challenged to design an object for use in public spaces that engages all the human senses and bring joy to the user.

2. Interaction scenarios in built environments

We identified various urban environments and the activities people would possibly participate in. We were looking for areas where our product could have the greatest impact on human behavior and increase human interactions. University campuses were identified as the best option due to the large crowds of students returning to face-to-face classes after a long season of virtual classes during Covid-19.

3. Enhancing interactions during breaks

Balancer is designed for use in the open spaces of education centres. At first sight, it looks like a whirligig bench that students can sit on in their free time. Due to its curved bottom, the student’s touch and balance senses are engaged as they try to keep it balanced.

5. Prototyping and construction

4. Balancer encourages interaction

The upper surface of the table is fitted with a maze. It takes at least two people to move the small balls in the maze around, tilting the table to and fro.

In a world where humans are interacting with each other less and less, and things are becoming more virtual, the need to engage in real-life conversations and be together is increasing. Bohan was designed to encourage people to appreciate the time spent with others.

The “black tent” or “tent of the tribes” plays an important role in the culture of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad tribes, and is called Bohun / Bohan. It is a symbol of their nomadic lifestyle, and an important place for gatherings and social events. From when the goat’s wool is first gathered, to the process of weaving the fabric, to when the tent is finally set up, each member of the tribe participates in some way. Inspired by the black tent, the Bohan bench depicts its form and was designed to replicate this communal interaction.

Bohan has a basic wooden frame with seats made from the traditional Moj fabric designed by the nomadic tribes. The focus of this product is on the movement of the fabric, which only works effectively as a seat when two people sit on it at the same time. When both people sit down the tension on the fabric creates a flat table surface between them and raises the seats to a comfortable position, something that can’t happen when only one person uses it. Bohan is made to be used with others and enjoy their company.

Gobinau

Desiring to encourage human interaction after the pandemic, we designed a table that encourages people to sit with each other. Our goal was to inspire friends and family to meet outdoors again, and enjoy being together. The ergonomic design of the table ensures that it is only balanced once all four people are sitting on their chairs. Its curved and fluid shapes are inviting, and evoke positive feelings and emotions.

We chose to combine the design with a specific concept, drawing on the traditional “Taijitu” symbol because it represents the idea of the unity of opposites. The yin yang symbolizes balance between opposites, the one beginning where the other ends in a never-ending cycle. When yin and yang are in balance, one experiences joy and serenity. This harmony and balance aligns with the philosophy of our design, which is why this symbol is used to create all the physical components of the design – the chairs, the table and the middle base are repetitions of the yin and yang symbol.

Mechanism

The furniture is designed in such a way that it all balances out when used by four people. The spring under each chair rises a little when the opposite chair is used. When two people sit opposite each other, balance is established for them both.

Labyrinthine Galaxy وــترازه ناــشکهک

The Labyrinthine Galaxy was designed to encourage people to communicate one-on-one without the interference of technology. It is an interactive bookstore, inspired by the Milky Way, made up of various components that interact precisely and imperceptibly with each other. The customers interact and explore the labyrinth together, while finding their favorite section of the bookstore.

Six separate entrances, leading to different sections of the bookstore, weave their way to the center of the galaxy. It is the brightest and most energetic segment, so we have dedicated the central part of this structure to children and their inexhaustible energy. Here, at the floating sphere in the heart of the galaxy, children can work together to access the bookshelves. As one moves away from the center of the galaxy the energy level drops.

The Labyrinth

Radius: 7.5 m

Height: <3 m

The Labyrinthine Galaxy is a wood-frame construction decorated with strands of fabric scraps that have been woven together. These colorful strands serve to guide visitors around the bookstore and help them find the desired section.

Central bookshelf

Radius: 2.6 m

Height: 3 m

Central piece (disk and sphere)

Radius (disk): 1.5 m

Height (disk): 25 cm

Radius (sphere): 25 cm

The Labyrinth Plywood Fabric scraps Central bookshelf

Plywood Plexyglass

Central piece (disk and sphere)

Plywood Foam

The labyrinth is color coded to guide customers to the various sections of the bookstore. The cooler tones, in shades of blue, indigo, green, and yellow, contrast nicely with the wood, and blend well together to replicate the atmosphere of cosmic space.

instrument + octopus

“When you ask a scientist what separates humans from animals they usually answer things like language, math, chess, the wheel etc. But I say it’s music.” Stefan

What? This music bench, created in the form of an octopus, has built-in horn and percussion instruments that are put into motion by pedals. Coordinated pedaling by the users creates harmonious sound and rhythm.

Why?

To fulfill the desire for human interaction in the post-Covid-19 era. We have used the concepts of music and group sports, which by their very nature bring people together.

Where?

In public spaces, both indoors and outdoors, especially in parks and on campuses.

How?

A simple mechanism converts the rotational motion of the pedals into a reciprocating motion similar to percussion instruments. When a user sits and pedals, the percussion sound is created on an acoustic central surface. The gamification is fun, and groups of people can create pleasant melodies together without even realising their interaction.

When?

All day long, all year round, regardless of the seasons.

Social distancing during Covid-19 has left many reluctant to engage with others. The Instrupus was designed to facilitate interactions between people in public spaces. Introducing elements like exercising and playing musical instruments (gamification) makes the experience fun and enjoyable.

People feel connected when they play or listen to music together. It enhances communication and teamwork, and the oxytocin it releases in our bodies strengthens our sense of social belonging. Sport is also a social activity, which not only keeps our bodies strong and healthy but also makes us feel more confident about ourselves. What could be a better way of bringing people together than making music while exercising?

We have chosen to build the Intrupus using sustainable materials. This way we can contribute to a circular economy in the face of climate change. rPET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a strong, lightweight, and easily recyclable plastic, which can be heated and reshaped over and over again. Adding composites reinforced with natural fibers, for example newspaper, bagasse, kenaf, coconut, and sawdust, can further strengthen rPET.

Mysterious Belt ییوداج

Passengers can spend a lot of time waiting for luggage at airports. Their children often curiously examine the luggage carousel and want to explore the conveyor belt, which annoys parents who are already tired after a long journey. Mysterious Belt is a delightful distraction that satisfies this curiosity and entertains little passengers under the watchful eye of their parents. This recreational structure simulates the airport luggage delivery process. It teaches children how luggage is processed at airports, and helps them understand why it takes so long to get their belongings. Mysterious Belt entertains children safely in one place, offering parents peace of mind during the long wait for their luggage.

How it operates

Mysterious Belt is a conveyor belt that children can walk on. The belt goes through a tunnel similar to that found on a luggage carousel, which simulates an airplane flying through a starry night sky on the inside, and an animated X-ray machine on the outside. The trampoline in the middle of the carousel is easily accessible to parents watching their children while they play.

One Thousand and One Nights

One Thousand and One Nights creates a warm and welcoming environment for hostel visitors to relax in. Rather than feeling confined indoors with strangers, visitors will be “transported” outdoors to enjoy the starry night sky around a fire. Reflecting the light of the fire on the ceiling, and around the room, through a diamond-shaped crystal creates a warm atmosphere for people to relax and chat.

In the middle of the table is a fireplace with an adjustable flame. Six hexagonal mirrors, placed around the fire, reflect its light to a crystal prism above. The light passes through the crystal prism and is projected at different angles, and in different colors, all around the room.

One Thousand and One Nights is inspired by the old Iranian storytelling tradition. The Persian cushions and pillows enhance the cultural experience. The table is predominantly made of wood and stone, and heat-resistant bricks in the shape of firewood compliment the fireplace

Sense Land تاساسحا نیمزرس

The innate need of human beings to interact with each other, with the outside world, and especially the natural environment, was severely restricted during the pandemic when people spent a lot of time quarantined at home. Sense Land is a new park pavilion, designed to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors again and make up for the moments lost. The pavilion consists of five passages, each focusing on one of the core human senses that humans desperately need to stimulate: hearing, touch, smell, sight, and taste. Each passageway engages at least two of the senses – one being the main target and one complementary. The active participation of the visitor is required to enjoy the full experience. On the path of sight and touch, for example, several people are required to work together to rearrange different objects along the path. Engaging with others out in nature, while stimulating a variety of senses, is bound to be a fun and healing experience.