水關係委員會

The Water Council of Relationality In the year 1624, the Netherlands and Taiwan encountered each other across the vastness of the ocean, when the Netherlands established a trading post in Taiwan, initiating international relations. Fast forward 400 years to 2024, a complex colonial history has unraveled, and the world is faced with dire environmental challenges, not least that while the ocean levels rise, the availability of drinking water decreases. However, since water constitutes the world and knows no borders, could a different type of logic—a watery relationality—open up new understandings of each other and the environmental crisis? Taking inspiration from the theme of "water" at the time of the two regions' encounter, this course establishes a fictional entity known as the Water Council of Relationality, using this imaginative democratic institution as the course's namesake. Throughout the semester, students will assume roles as researchers, social justice warriors and policy proposers within this fictional organization. Guided by tutors from both institutions, each group will integrate their research interests with the course's framework, aiming to present a future project proposal for this fictional council at the end of the term. The proposed project must revolve around different themes such as water resources, marine ecology, climate change, environmental justice and policies in both regions. Students will be required to gain in-depth knowledge of scientific, historical, and cultural aspects related to water through field investigations and data collection. They will work together on creating a collective archive of open-source research. Subsequently, utilizing various creative techniques and media, they will visualize and materialize their fictional proposal into a comprehensive design project. The project should employ methods such as fiction, speculative design, visual narratives, art and science collaboration, and participatory performance to depict their imaginative visions of the future of "water." Ultimately, the goal is to engage citizens to rethink our relationship with water within issues considered vital by each group in contemporary society. Water councils have existed in the Netherlands since the 12th century. They were self-organised, and then centralised, decentralised then re-centralised again. There are 21 today and they remain hyper-locally organised based on the geographic locality they serve. There was an old rule for water councils, “Whom the water harms stops the water”. Seen from this anthropocentric perspective, uncontrolled water was a force to be feared; once water was controlled it became a tool and utility... an object. However, water issues today can no longer be considered localised. Water is a collective global issue. Even if we are not going to be flooded or a subject of drought tomorrow, one is still related to, or perhaps even responsible for it through the various ways we interact with water everyday — we need a water council that works across the many oceans. Students composition: The course is expected to have a total of 60 students, comprising 30 first-year students from the Social Design Master's Program at the Design Academy Eindhoven and 30 students primarily from Institute of Applied Arts and other departments at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The course will start with a series of workshops presented simultaneously to both institutions’ students. The students will be tasked with collecting data using primary research methods to create a shared open-source archive of information about the sociopolitical and imaginal nature of water. After the first few weeks, students will be invited to work individually or in groups to interpret and make design proposals based on the shared research. These will be shared in an Inter-oceanic Water Council meeting entailing an online film festival of propositions, and a live conversation and reflection. Subsequently, the students will continue to develop their propositions towards final design projects to be shared in an online exhibition. The course content and schedule mentioned above will be subject to rolling adjustments based on coordination with the Design Academy Eindhoven. 課程背景: 本課程是由荷蘭安荷芬設計學院(Design Academy Eindhoven)的社會設計碩士學程(MA, Social Design)與本校應用藝術研究所兩個系所共同開設。這是一個跨國、跨校的創作實踐課程,並透過全英語的教學環境讓兩校的學生可以共同修課並合作計畫,讓學生有機會在求學期間就可以受到跨國合作的訓練。 安荷芬設計學院位於荷蘭安荷芬市,建立於1947年,是一所在國際上極富盛名的設計學院。安荷芬設計學院與荷蘭的設計已經是聞名遐邇,2008 年《紐約時報》一篇名為 「A School for New Dutch Masters」的文章引用設計諮詢公司Moss Bureau創始人Murray Moss的話,稱安荷芬設計學院是「目前世界上最好的設計學校」。安荷芬設計學院的社會設計碩士學程創立於2010年,是全世界第一間以社會設計為名的系所。該研究所是安荷芬設計學院現在五個不同碩士學程的其中一個,其他四個分別是情境設計碩士學程(MA, Contextual Design)、資訊設計碩士學程(MA, Information Design)、批判探索實驗室碩士學程(MA, Critical Inquiry Lab)、地理設計碩士學程(MA, Geo—Design)。 課程內容: 1624年,台灣與荷蘭在海洋相遇,也是台灣首度與國際社群接觸之時。2024年,也是台荷兩地首次接觸後的第400年,歷經複雜的殖民歷史,台灣從一個島嶼面向海洋與世界,與低地國荷蘭長期面對環境的挑戰有著許多繁複的交織與相似性。除此之外,座落於安荷芬的安荷芬設計學院以及位在新竹的國立陽明交通大學應用藝術研究所,都是被科技城市環繞的藝術與設計院校。安荷芬與新竹兩個城市都是兩國科技發展重鎮,兩地科技園區中的各種科技產業發展遙遙呼應,許多產業鍊更是環環相扣,例如在半導體產業中的荷蘭艾司摩爾(ASML)跟台灣台積電(TSMC)的高度合作就是其中一個例子。 在這樣的歷史、文化與產業的背景之下,本課程將以兩地相遇之際的「水」作為發想起點,建立一個虛構的「水關係委員會」(The Water Council of Relationality),並以該虛構的機構作為本課程名稱。學生將在課程中在兩校老師的帶領之下,將自己的研究興趣結合本課程的規劃,嘗試在學期末提案一個該機構的未來計畫。該計畫必須圍繞在兩地對於水資源、海洋生態、氣候變遷、科技產業等等不同主題的研究與創作。學生小組必須透過田野調查、資料收集對兩地與「水」相關的科學知識與歷史文化有深入的了解,之後利用不同媒材的創作手法,把他們虛構的計畫視覺化與物質化成一個完整的設計作品。該作品可以透過虛構(fiction)、推測設計(speculative design)、視覺敘事(visual narrations)、藝術與科學合作(art & science collaboration)、參與式表演(participatory performance)等等不同創作方法去勾勒他們對於未來的「水」的想像,並且引導觀眾去重新思考每組認為在當代社會很重要的問題。 修課人數: 本校課程將以30人為上限,其中修課學生以應藝所研究生為優先,但仍開放給其他系所選修。並與安荷芬設計學院的社會設計碩士學程一年級學生30人一起參與本課程,並在線上交流。 預期成果: 學期中預計兩校共同建立一個線上的資料庫,學期末會鼓勵兩校學生依照研究興趣,組成數組跨國學生團隊,分別完成不同的創作計畫,並透過數位平台在線上發表,同時兩校也有可能分別在台荷兩地分別規劃實體展示發表。 以上課程內容以及上課時間,會隨著與安荷芬設計學院的協調而做滾動式調整。

期中報告(30%),期末發表(70%)