Experience with clay in the basic design education

Abstract

Basic Design is a first year fundamental course that is taught in different disciplines such as architecture, design and fine arts. Basic Design introduces the basic concepts and principles of design and enables students to develop mental and manual skills to cope with design problems. It allows students to structure and articulate two and three dimensional spatial compositions in different media. Clay as a plastic material was chosen to develop their creativity in making 3D abstract design works. For four semesters clay was integrated into the Basic Design courses of Interior Architecture and Architecture departments of Çankaya University in Ankara, Turkey. During this period, 270 students produced 3D design works consisting of clay and/or metal based on different design concepts. The aim was to broaden their viewpoints while designing with such a plastic material and create sensual artistic works by using an extra material that contrasted with the plasticity of clay. The final products showed that students were able to use clay and/or metal as effective tools in representing their design ideas. The outcome of this design experience showed that students can utilize ceramic/clay in their design projects.