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Jeremy Beaudry
Jeremy Beaudry has worked in and between the disciplines of art, design, and education for over 15 years. With a focus on socially-engaged art and design, he has lectured and publicly presented projects in national and international venues, including SPACES in Cleveland, the 2013 Hidden City Festival in Philadelphia, ISEA2009 in Belfast, Dutch Art Institute, and Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
2006, he has been a founding member of The Think Tank that has yet to be named, an organization that initiates research, conversations, and actions that explore contemporary sociopolitical issues. Over the past several years he has worked as a design consultant with the Action Mill, a strategic design studio. He is a professor of design and Director of the Master of Industrial Design Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
In 2008 he was artist-in-residence at Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum in Egypt as a part of the U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy program. In 2009-10, he co-curated Manifesta 8, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Murcia, Spain. Since
Design in Translation
With the increasing complexity of social, technological, and ecological challenges, design — as a process and a way of thinking — has subsequently expanded its focus to become a leading agent of social transformation and innovation. Designers have at their disposal a number of powerful tools and methods which give them a unique ability to initiate meaningful change in communities, organizations, and businesses. But how do these design tools and methods translate across cultural, linguistic, and geographical lines? And how do the underlying assumptions and values embedded within these practices sit within in other cultural contexts?
JASON STEEL
Reflecting on these questions, Program Director Jeremy Beaudry and graduate students from the Master of Industrial Design program at The University of the Arts (Philadelphia, USA) will discuss the outcomes a month-long design collaboration with Lebanese students and designers in which they together explored the shifting definition and application of design methods and tools in the Beirut context.
www.uarts.edu www.mid.uarts.edu jbeaudry@uarts.edu
Jason is a contemporary artist & fashion academic working in the UK & South East Asia. His practice encompasses experimental textiles, precious gems, memory & emotional response. When teaching fashion & textiles, his greatest concern is to allow students to be who they really are- not who they would like to be. A lesson easily taught, but not so easily learned.
For a process to be thoughtful it must have truth on every level down to internal construction & the smallest detail. This makes each piece laborious & time consuming to make- yet the internal world must be reported in an accurate way.
Since 2009 Jason has made a gradual transition from fashion designer to artist. Whilst his work continues to use familiar references, the context has shifted in a subtle and sometimes dark way.
Prior to this shift, Jason worked with a number of companies as well as private clients to develop bespoke garments. These are often signature pieces in a client’s wardrobe & range from tailoring to body sculpture. Few have a public face; those who do are celebrated British artists Tracey Emin & Cerith Wyn Evans.
When Does Fashion + Education = Glamour? A Discussion by Jason Steel Fashion design is the Cinderella of the creative arts. In no other discipline are students expected to research, design, illustrate & cut garments that fit the body in an aesthetically pleasing way. Fashion is a complex language that exists on myriad levels; it is therefore essential to avoid the many pitfalls when writing a course, especially when the Internet is saturated with images from catwalks, sidewalks & celebrity events from around the globe. Never before have images been so widely available, yet these must not be confused with the essential skills students need to learn.
steelwork100@hotmail.com
BEIRUT DESIGN WEEK 2013
Jason’s unique approach to teaching fashion has seen him work at leading South East Asian universities such as Tsinghua University, Beijing, Shih Chien University, Taipei & latterly as the Director of Studies at the London College for Fashion Studies, Hanoi, where students are encouraged to be who they are- not who they would like to be. During his presentation, Jason will discuss some of the key elements essential to a great course & why glamour is not one of them.
In collaboration with the Lebanese American University