The fourth session of our Hybrid Innovation programme for Japanese industry was held at Nohara Lab on 29th November 2022. HI Creative Director Dr Giorgio Salani led the session with a lecture on Art Thinking in innovation practice and kickstarted the first of three HI Practice sessions focusing on group work. The staff team includes HI Director Professor Kayoko Nohara – who translated the content to Japanese – and Assistant Director Kohei Kanomata, who facilitated the discussion.
The first half of the session was occupied by a conversation around two key points raised in previous sessions that were wort exploring in more depth: what do we mean by Art Thinking? And, what techniques and notions of Art Thinking can be beneficial in a business context? The lecture in English by Dr Giorgio Salani (Tokyo Tech) employed examples from Western art history to explore fundamental differences between art, science and other practices. For example, an installation by the artists Christo and Jean Claude was introduced to point out the sharp difference in the goals of fine artists, designers and engineers, even when they are working on the same structure and follow a strict design methodology to implement their work. Similarly inspired by various artworks by famous figures in the Western canon, distinctions were raised between rational, logical and even alogical thinking in multiple fields. Other examples include the contrasting role ambiguity plays in the arts and in science, the distinction between “sense-making” and “decision making”, and the importance of reflexivity in art practice (in common with the social sciences).
The lecture also pointed out the difference between purely Art Thinking-based innovation platforms and Tokyo Tech’s Hybrid Innovation approach, which integrates lessons from Art Thinking into a transdisciplinary method. The theories debated in the first half directly informed the practical exercises that were later assigned to the participants. In particular, intuitive sketching offered means to connect with individual goals and specific expertise that each participant was bringing to the group work. Making personal interests and intentions apparent in visual form was used to negotiate the splitting of the team into groups, who will carry over multiple sessions and complete the assignment for the HI Practice together. Informed by transdisciplinary interactive exercises, each group will develop an “intervention” to tackle issues around an assigned broad theme. This can take the form of products, services, artworks or visual representations that can range from fully working models to more speculative/evocative work, in either digital or physical form. The participants started the ideation phase with sketching assignments intended to generate quick and varied ideas without any form of self-censorship. These will be taken on in the next few sessions and will eventually coalesce into the final proposals. The results will be amply discussed in the final sessions using a mixed art/science approach, and presented to the public in the HI Symposium to be held in April 2023 (exact date TBC).
The next session of the HI programme will be held on 13th November December and will see the participation of Dr Betti Marenko, a design theorist and philosopher from Central Saint Martins college, University of the Arts London. The event will be held in person at Tokyo Tech, with an interactive workshop held in English and translated simultaneously into Japanese.
Activity period: October 2022 to April 2023
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2023.
2022年11月15日、産学連携ハイブリッド・イノベーションプログラム第3回セッションを開催しました。今回は東工大特任教授であるネイサン・コーエン博士が、演習とディスカッションをリード。コーエン博士はロンドン芸術大学セントラル・セント・マーチンズ校のMA Art/Scienceの元コースリーダーであり、アーティスト兼研究・教育者です。共著にThe Art of Scienceがあり、この本で、時代を超えて我々の文化を形成してきたアーティストと科学者の作品群を紹介しています。またスタッフチームとして、HIディレクターの野原佳代子教授、HIクリアイティブディレクターのジョルジョ・サラニ助教、アシスタントディレクターの鹿又亘平氏が入りました。
The third session of our Hybrid Innovation programme for Japanese industry was held at Nohara Lab on 15th November 2022. Tokyo Tech’s Visiting Professor Dr. Nathan Cohen led the activities and the discussion, alongside HI Director Prof. Kayoko Nohara and HI Assistant Director, Kohei Kanomata. Dr. Cohen is an artist, educator and researcher, and the former Course Leader of the MA Art/Science at Central Saint Martins college, University of the Arts London. He is a co-author of “The Art of Science”, an illustrated selection of works by artist-scientists that shaped our cultures over the ages.
Participants attended in person whilst Dr. Cohen joined us from the UK on zoom, assisted by a simultaneous translation service provided by NHK. This was a very practical session with no central lecture but 3 exercises designed to facilitate a discussion about differences and overlaps between artistic and scientific approaches to creativity and innovation. After some warm-up questions about the perception of art vs. science among the participants, a series of captivating images were shown and discussed. These included less familiar works of art from the distant and recent past, from mysterious ethnic and prehistoric art to more contemporary works, and Dr. Cohen’s own artwork. Questions were raised about the artists’ intentions and methods of making, with educated guesses shared by the participants. Without prior knowledge some images looked alien and hard to decipher, but even more well-known artworks were often made with techniques and materials unfamiliar to the session’s participants. This stimulated an initial exchange about the goals of art and its role in societies across the globe. What is the purpose for which the art was created? What is its social role?
After a short break, the participants were split in groups and assigned a practical task. Each group had one hour to build a bridge of 1.2m span, to be constructed between 2 tables using only bamboo sticks, elastic bands and coloured ribbon. The results would be judged both in terms of technical features such as strength and aesthetics. Early on, all groups engaged in discussions aided by sketches of bridge designs on paper, and gradually moved on to checking the materials and testing solutions. Multiple ways of joining sticks were possible and this gave options and variety to the project. The exercise was engaging and all groups focused closely on their tasks, splitting labour among them and progressing fast. The all managed to finish on time and the results were assessed by Dr. Cohen and everyone in the room, collectively. Books were used to test the strengths of the structures and everyone voted for their preferred solution. The groups also introduced the motivation behind the different designed and these were sometimes insightful and not immediately obvious. The conclusion we all drew from the activity and the discussion was that the technical features and aesthetics of the bridges could be thought of separately but in reality they were largely intertwined and the winning bridge was judge by most to be both the stronger and the best looking.
At the end of the session, we reflected again on what it means to be artistic, in the light of what it means to be scientific. In particular, when we say that ‘science is rational’, what does that mean? How does it differ from ‘rationalisation’ in business? What is the rationality to be found in art? Where are the standards of aesthetics to be found? … and so the discussion goes on. We are thus on the path to exploring the fusion of science and art.
Session 4 of the HI programme will be held on 29th November and will focus on various techniques to facilitate the divergence in creativity, at the start of the ideation phase. Group work to start in Session 4 will be undertaken by the participants across various sessions to exemplify an innovation cycle based on HI theory and practice. The results will be amply discussed in the final sessions and presented to the public in the HI Symposium to be held in April 2023 (exact date TBC).
Activity period: October 2022 to April 2023PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2023.
11月1日(火)、産学協働プログラム「ハイブリッド・イノベーション」第2回目を実施しました。今回は「科学技術最前線」として、STADHI-Science and Technology x Art and Design Hybrid Innovation ーのメンバーでもある東工大物質理工学院の須佐匡裕教授が登場、金属工学のスペシャリストです。鉄鋼の製造工程と歴史、そしてカーボンニュートラルな未来を目指す上でのグローバルな課題について講義をいただきました。今日のゴールは、革新的な製品やサービスを生み出す、あるいは改善するソリューションの「オルタナティブ」としての「プロセス・イノベーション」に目を向けること、そしてあらためて「科学的であること」の特徴を見直し、そこから何を学ぶことができるか、いろいろな方法を議論することでした。「サイエンスと工学」にちなんで参加者全員が白衣を着用し、その思考と文化、モード(形式、スタイル)をシミュレートしてみました。いつもと違う風景に、自分の中の何かがとぎすまされた、という感想も飛び出しました。
The second session of our Hybrid Innovation programme for industry was held on 1st November at Nohara Lab. This in-person event saw the contribution of Prof. Masahiro Susa from the School of Materials and Chemical Technology, who introduced the participants to the process and challenges of manufacturing steel. He gave a lecture on the manufacturing process and history of steel, and global challenges in moving towards a carbon-neutral future. The session aimed to inspire a discussion on “process innovation” as an alternative source of innovative solutions for generating or improving products and services, and reflect on a “scientific” approach to innovation. To embrace the S&T theme of the day, all participants were asked to wear white lab coats for the entire afternoon.
The process of making materials for steel includes the sintering process, in which powdered ore, lime and coke are mixed and baked to harden them; the process of making crude iron (or “pig iron”), the material for steel, in a blast furnace; and the process of pig iron entering a converter furnace to become steel… Unlike the vague image people have of ‘iron’, the composition and shape of iron changes depending on the process at each stage, and is transformed with different properties. The main theme of the conference was a zero-carbon society and the search for a pathway to steelmaking that realises this, with the major ‘question’ being how the steel manufacturing process can be changed towards decarbonisation, and the trial-and-error approach to cutting-edge innovation was discussed. Questions were actively raised, one after another, from companies in industries that use steel in their daily operations, as well as from those that do not.
Professor Kayoko Nohara then used post-its to check what each participant had grasped from the lecture they had just heard, and what messages they had received from this science communication. What the participants grasped varied from scientific events and information, to unconscious evaluations of them, to the sublimation of them into something more personal and of interest to them. Furthermore, what are scientific and technological methods and thinking, what is their potential for creativity… and their potential for application to more universal process innovation were examined.
Next, using techniques of Art Foundation studies, the participants were asked to discuss the topic of ‘steel towers’ in groups while blindfolded. With no reliance on sight, the participants shared their knowledge and senses. Creative translation extended from the types and functions of steel towers, such as Tokyo Tower, base stations, electricity and carrying radio waves, to associations such as “the tower looks good at sunset” and “towers owned by major companies usually have Yuru-kyara characters…”.
The final activity involved working in groups of three and making artefact using coloured clay. Individuals were first given 5 minutes to create a miniature frying pan using one tub of clay, in whichever method they preferred. In the second round, one participant per group had to explain and show how to make the same object his or her way. The other two participants should follow visual and oral instructions and replicate both shape and actions. An additional rule was introduced, forcing all groups to standardise their output. The next two rounds saw the same dynamic in the groups, with alternate participants instructing others while also observing newly introduced rules. Finally, all members had to individually create the frying pan by choosing their own methods, as they did at the start. The exercise provided a context in which the relationship between skill, knowledge, process and design were all made evident. The experience inspired a rich discussion on the difference of various techniques and the results highlighted the crucial role manufacturing processes can play in realising designs. After discussing impressions from the direct experience with clay, the conversation moved to more abstract associations with manufacturing, internal policies and communication within companies, and the ability to innovate processes (and/or designs) to accommodate ever-changing conditions.
The third session of the HI programme will be held on 15th November and will explore the theme of art/science with a guest lecturer from the UK (simultaneous translation will be provided).
Activity period: October 2022 to April 2023
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2023. Read our previous post on Session 1 here. For info please contact: tokyotechxcsm@tse.ens.titech.ac.jp
The Tokyo Institute of Technology are hosting a “Hybrid Innovation” programme for key industrial partners for the second year. The programme is held at Nohara Lab, School of Environment and Society, at the Ookayama Campus in central Tokyo. The sessions are developed in collaboration with Central Saint Martins College of the Arts London (CSM).
In this program, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
The first session of Year 2 was held on Tuesday 18th September 2022. Attendees from the six participating companies engaged in a short lecture, discussions and workshops facilitated by Prof. Kayoko Nohara and supported by selected graduate students. After briefly introducing the concept of “hybrid innovation” in relation to the overall programme, the participants engaged in an active discussion around the theory and practice of “innovation” as perceived individually and communicated by their respective companies. In line with the transdisciplinary approach driving the programme, Prof. Nohara employed linguistic strategies to facilitate the conversation and complement the answers collected on a whiteboard wall.
The discussion was followed by an extensive exercise in visual communication using Lego, which was used to observe and comment on communication and leadership strategies within and between the groups. Participants were invited to continue the discussion and network among each other in the friendly environment created by Nohara Lab at Tokyo Tech.
Activity period: October 2022 to April 2023
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2023.
製造プロセスと使用者の行動両方が、環境に影響を与えています。議論において、それらを軽減する上で包装デザインが中心的な役割を持つことを強調する学生もいます。ブリスターの代替デザイン(軽量化、バイオプラスチック製など)や、レンズと包装の適切な廃棄を促すメッセージ(「この製品をリサイクルしてくださってありがとう」など)を組み込んだ包装デザインなど、いくつもの可能性が注目されます。研究者であるYuo and Yoshida (2009)は「ゴミを分別してくださってありがとう」といった感謝のメッセージが、無分別な行動の抑止に有効であることを指摘しています。2名の学生は、タバコのパッケージに添えられたメッセージとの類似性に注目しています。たとえばタバコのパッケージは、ユーザーの行動に影響を与えるパッケージ例として、よく研究されています。個人のライフスタイルを変えることは難しいですが、コンタクトレンズのパッケージに環境に優しいメッセージを添えることで、どのように消費者が持続可能性へ貢献するようになるかについては、研究する価値がありそうです。
この問題をめぐって、一般の人々を感化するビジュアル・コミュニケーションの役割についても、先輩学生により指摘されました。使い捨てコンタクトレンズから出るプラスチック廃棄物は、他の活動から出る廃棄物の量に比べれば、取るに足らないものとして見過ごされがちです(Morgan et al. 2003)。使い捨てコンタクトレンズのライフサイクルを具体化して示すことで、マイクロプラスチック汚染についての理解を深めることができます。リサイクル習慣やその他の関連データを視覚的・物理的に表現したインフォグラフィクスを用いることが、ひとつの解決策となるかもしれません(ポジティブな例としてPerpetual Plasticがある Klauss et al. 2021)。またある博士課程の学生は「使い捨てコンタクトレンズの材料の持つ特性と廃棄をめぐる文脈は、データでしかなかったものを実体化し、マイクロプラスチック汚染に関する人々の感覚形成に役立つのは」と考えています。「コンタクトレンズの水泡をどのようにアート作品に変換できるか」「ガベッジ(廃棄物)アートによって、より良い未来を想像させることができるか」、最後に「ゴミをガベッジアートに変えることで、【制御する技術】を【解放する技術】に変えることは可能か」などの問いも挙がっています。
Charles Rolsky, Varun P. Kelkar, and Rolf U. Halden (2020) Nationwide Mass Inventory and Degradation Assessment of Plastic Contact Lenses in US Wastewater, Environmental Science & Technology, 54 (19).
Chen J, Wu J, Sherrell P C, et al. (2022) How to Build a Microplastics‐Free Environment: Strategies for Microplastics Degradation and Plastics Recycling, Advanced Science.
Klauss, L. S. M. A. M. S. (2021). Perpetual Plastic — Beach debris reveals the fate of all plastic ever made. https://perpetual-plastic.net
Morgan, S. L., Morgan, P. B., & Efron, N. (2003). Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact lens & anterior eye, The Journal of the British Contact Lens Association, 26(1), 43–46.
Nohara Lab are pleased to announce a new collaboration between the Tokyo Institute of Technology and CooperVision Japan, a major manufacturer of contact lenses. The heavy impact of manufacturing processes on the environment is a well-known issue and great efforts are being made globally to reduce our dependency on single-use plastics. Many plastic materials are chemically and physically resilient and can last in the environment for many years. Their slow degradation into microplastics (both micro beads and microfibers) is a major concern for scientists, designers, manufacturers and consumers committed to understand their role in developing effective solutions. A common method in most industries is to replace (or at least reduce) the use of plastic with more eco-friendly materials. However, the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries rely on sterile, affordable plastics such as polypropylene to safely package their products, and this includes disposable contact lenses.
CooperVision is a global manufacturer with US headquarters in San Moran, California, USA, and operations in 130 countries. It produces and sells billions of contact lenses annually and is highly regarded by contact lens users for its effectiveness and convenience. In Japan, the company has offices in seven cities in addition to its head office in Tokyo. As contact lenses are highly controlled medical devices, hygiene is an important consideration, and the lenses are packaged in a liquid contained in a polypropylene blister case with an aluminium lid. Amidst growing concerns about environmental issues, and in search of an approach to the proper use and disposal of its products, the company launched a jointly planned research project, Project Vision 2022 (PV22), with students from the Nohara Laboratory this year. Based on the research results of the first semester (1Q, 2Q), the students will publicly present their proposals in the second semester (3Q, 4Q).
PV22 aims to produce findings on issues related to the use and disposal of contact lens packaging in Japan and eventually inform speculative and practical solutions through design interventions. The research exemplifies the transdisciplinary approach developed at Nohara Lab. The project offers the opportunity to illustrate how to conduct research across disciplinary boundaries by joint effort. It was therefore made an integral part of this year’s teaching sessions and it is open to all undergrad, grad and PhD students in the lab. Through weekly discussions with teachers and regular contacts with the company, the students will acquire the necessarily skills to conduct their own projects: from literature review to problem definition, choice of methods, data analysis and write up. They also familiarise themselves with consultancy work, by learning to respond to clients’ requests with technical analysis and evidence-based reports.
After conducting independent research and presenting initial findings to the team, the students were invited to write their observations. The literature review conducted in April-May 2022 is bringing to light facets of the plastic waste issue that point at its global scale, and reflect the varied interests and backgrounds of Nohara Lab’s students.
The blisters containing the contact lenses are made of polypropylene (PP), a widely recyclable material, but it turns out they can be too small to be correctly separated and recycled in the waste processing phase and often end up being mixed with generic waste and sent to landfill. The lenses themselves are made of a different type of plastic (silicone hydrogels) and only weigh a fraction of the blisters, so they intuitively pose a diminished threat to the environment. Paradoxically, their small size is part of the problem: a survey in the USA showed that more than 20% of users regularly throw lenses down the toilet (Rolsky et al., 2020) and studies demonstrated that the plastic remains largely unaffected by water treatment processes and accumulate in water and on land, e.g. in agricultural soils. In the UK alone, it is calculated that over 750 million plastic lenses are being flushed down the drain or put in landfill every year (Optical Express, 2022). These lenses form microplastics, pollute the oceans and endanger marine life (Chen et al., 2022).
Despite the gravity of the phenomenon, studies show that public awareness is low and only a small minority of users is recycling lenses correctly (less than 1% according to this source). Furthermore, a survey conducted by a contact lens store revealed that approximately 70% of the 6,500 members did not know the empty cases are recyclable (Asahi Shinbun, February 12, 2019). Existing projects such as Eyecity are addressing this issue and starting to make a difference, with manufacturing companies competing to prove their efforts towards environmental sustainability. But the issue is far from being solved and therefore represents a well-defined and important challenge for Nohara Lab students to tackle.
Some students highlighted the central role of packaging design in reducing the environmental impacts of both its manufacturing process and user behaviour. This may encompass alternative designs for the blisters (lighter, made of bioplastics, etc..) and new packaging design to incorporate messages (“thank you for recycling this product” or similar) aiming to encourage the correct disposal of both lenses and packaging. Researchers Yuo and Yoshida (2009) found that the gratitude message such as “Thank you for separating your trash” is effective in deterring inconsiderate behaviour. Two students highlighted parallels with messages on cigarette packaging which – although very different – is a well-studied example of packaging intended to influence user behaviour. Whilst individuals’ lifestyle changes are always difficult to implement, a possible strand of research could be conducted on how eco-friendly messages on contact lens packaging can bring consumers to contribute to sustainability.
Recycling engineering was another noted interest in the team, with students foreseeing the need for incentives and rewards for users who dispose of their lenses correctly. Some built on the knowledge of Tokyo Tech’s Prof. Fumitake Takahashi’s experience in developing effective solutions to encourage PET recycling, which can offer important lessons to the recycling of the PP blisters. Initial ideas involve either dedicated collection boxes in public spaces (e.g. supermarkets) or other solutions to reduce the hassle of recycling blisters by providing boxes or envelops to collect them at home.
Finally, the role of Visual Communication in sensitising the public on this issue was discussed by more senior students. Plastic waste from disposable contact lenses is easily overlooked as insignificant pollution compared with the amount of waste generated by other activities (Morgan et al., 2003). Practices of materialising disposable contact lenses life-cycle could expand this narrow understanding of micro-plastic pollution. Possible solutions comprise readily available infographics on recycling habits and other relevant data, expressed in visual and/or physical form (Perpetual Plastic was indicated as a positive example, Klauss et al., 2021). One doctoral student believes that “disposable contact lenses’ material properties and their discarding context could be used to physicalise data and contribute to the public sense-making of micro-plastic pollution”. Questions included “How can we turn contact lens blisters into artworks”, “Can garbage art enable us to imagine a better future” and, even, “Is it possible to change technics for control into technics for liberation by turning garbage into garbage art”?
In conclusion, Nohara Lab’s students are fully engaged with the issue of plastic pollution and the opportunities that the collaboration with CooperVision Japan can bring to their training. Further review of literature will dig deeper into these initial trends and themes. The next steps will include a review of sustainable solutions developed by CooperVision and other contact lens manufacturers, and a brainstorming session to agree on key areas of research. The team will then split into groups for more focused, specialist investigations. Regular blogs on this site will report on any progress made by the lab on Project Vision 2022 throughout the 2022-23 academic year.
REFERENCES
Charles Rolsky, Varun P. Kelkar, and Rolf U. Halden (2020) Nationwide Mass Inventory and Degradation Assessment of Plastic Contact Lenses in US Wastewater, Environmental Science & Technology, 54 (19).
Chen J, Wu J, Sherrell P C, et al. (2022) How to Build a Microplastics‐Free Environment: Strategies for Microplastics Degradation and Plastics Recycling, Advanced Science.
Klauss, L. S. M. A. M. S. (2021). Perpetual Plastic — Beach debris reveals the fate of all plastic ever made. https://perpetual-plastic.net
Morgan, S. L., Morgan, P. B., & Efron, N. (2003). Environmental impact of three replacement modalities of soft contact lens wear. Contact lens & anterior eye, The Journal of the British Contact Lens Association, 26(1), 43–46.
The tenth and final session of the “Hybrid Innovation” collaboration programme between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins College of the Arts London (CSM) was held on Tuesday 8 March 2022.
In Session 10, Professor Masaharu Tsujimoto was invited to conduct an ecosystem design exercise necessary for Hybrid Innovation. Members of the participating companies discussed their ideas for the final project in relation to a possible ecosystem and verified the feasibility of the project by looking at it from a bird’s eye view.
This session integrated artistic and design thinking with practical business management studies to determine the consistency with the social structure and to consider how a new model can be created.
In this program, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
Activity period: October 2021 to April 2022
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2022.
The ninth session of the “Hybrid Innovation” collaboration programme between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins College of the Arts London (CSM) was held on Tuesday 22 February 2022.
In Session 9, Professor Dai Senoo, an expert in management engineering, was invited to conduct an exercise on diversity with the participating companies. In this session, participants used geometric figures to consider combinations from various perspectives, such as shape, color, and number of corners, and discussed their diversity.
In creating diversity, elements considered in making decisions can appear unusual from another person’s perspective. In this exercise, participants practiced the meaning of diversity by using shapes as an example, and learned thinking methods that can be applied to practical work, such as team building within and between companies.
In this program, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
Activity period: October 2021 to April 2022
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2022.
The eight session of the “Hybrid Innovation” collaboration programme between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins College of the Arts London (CSM) was held on Tuesday 1 February 2022.
Session 8 reviewed previous sessions in preparation for the final assignment. Assist. Prof[SG2] . Giorgio Salani provided a theoretical overview of the Hybrid Innovation approach based on academic literature which focused on the limitations of current Design Thinking strategies.
The session kicked-off the Final Project of the programme, for which 4 groups of participants will develop an “intervention” (i.e. a product, service or speculative proposal) by employing Hybrid Innovation strategies for themes assigned by the organisers.
The group decided on a direction for the group while incorporating the opinions of others, and by using the Hybrid Innovation methodology introduced in previous sessions, the group laid the groundwork for a new approach to business innovation and idea generation.
In this program, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
Activity period: October 2021 to April 2022
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2022.
The seventh session of “Hybrid Innovation”, a collaboration programme between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London (CSM), was held on Tuesday 25 January 2022.
Session 7 invited artist and educator Heather Barnett from CSM to discuss how to create the conditions for hybrid innovation. In corporate work, there is a constant need to engage with team members and many others to generate new ideas. After introducing her work as an artist, Barnett led activities designed to let the participants experience how to make novel connections by allowing random associations.
Unexpected factors that emerge from interacting with others are an important component in understanding creativity. “Hybrid Innovation” unravelled creativity and deepened the discussion with companies on the environment and conditions for thinking like an artist and creating new ideas in a practical way.
In this programme, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
Activity period: October 2021 to April 2022
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2022.
Session 6 of “Hybrid Innovation”, a new collaboration programme between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins College of the Arts London (CSM), was held on Tuesday 11 January 2022.
In Session 6, Prof. Betti Marenko and members of the participating companies discussed various forms of possible futures by utilising methods and concepts of design philosophy. The participants used a tool called Philosophical Pills (co-developed by Prof. Betti Marenko) to construct a multi-directional vision of the future from a single vision by including various factors in their own imagined futures.
Through the activities, the participants acquired knowledge of future forecasting, a necessary component of innovation strategies, and experienced how to think flexibly in response to various future scenarios.
In this program, companies embody the process to Hybrid Innovation. This merges “multi-communication” to transcend disciplinary boundary, promote the fusion of knowledge and change mindsets. The programme also aims stimulate innovative strategies in each participating company.
Activity period: October 2021 to April 2022
PROGRAMME CONTENT: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, creative community activities, etc. that flexibly use face-to-face and online. A final symposium – open to participating companies and the public – is scheduled for April 2022.