Designing Relations in the Studio: Ambiguity and uncertainty in one to one exchanges

Abstract

At the heart of learning and teaching in studio based design subjects lies the engagement by students and tutors in activities which are based on practical work simulating design professionals’ work. We report here on a research project which explored the student/tutor relationship in design pedagogies across a range of academic levels and subjects in one institution. Although a small sample of interviews was obtained, severn students and severn academics, the data is a rich account of relationships which support or restrict student learning. We consider that the relationships, which are mutable, often ambiguous and uncertain in character, are part of enacted roles structured by the university, the design practice and individual dispositions. These are further complicated by socio-cultural, political and spatial factors. In the most positive learning engagements students and tutors are working towards a two-way exchange on an equal level, which enables students to achieve their best and to become independent practitioners in their own right.