Images Design Reality
In honor of the academic study year commencement, the Visual Communications department at the Beer Sheba campus held a festive event, at the center of which was a unique exhibition titled "Images Design Reality".
The exhibition, which was hosted by the Negev's Artists House – a non-profit society of artists, displayed the works by the college's visual communications students in the form of signs, on which the students had worked during the second semester of their first-year studies, as part of the "Design thinking and message delivery" course.
The task given to students of the course, together with the College Deanship, was to create a series of signs on a social subject of choice. The purpose of the signs is to arouse awareness and discourse on the subject, causing the viewers to think and contemplate their stand and activities concerning the subject. The subjects presented included: global warming, bullying on social media, domestic violence, etc.
The event was open to the general public, and during the event, alongside free time to visit the various presentations, there was an artists' discussion at the venue. The discussion was officiated by Noa Segal, a lecturer from the department, and participated by Shelly Odiz, Katrina Doroshenko and Omri Hayut – students from the department. The subjects discussed included thinking and creative processes in designing the signs, the importance of the subject matter, and more.
At the start of the evening head of the Visual Communications department at the college, Nino Biniashvili, gave an address, saying: "This is our first year of cooperating with the Negev's Artists House and I am very pleased at the opportunity for displaying the student's works to the general public at a cultural institution outside of the college. The department has made its mission to be the voice of the young people in the south on issues of importance. Their artistic way of expressing their voices is important as art helps us to become more humane. It reflects and transmits information and is a vessel for conveying matters close to our hearts concerning our reality. Over the years we have become used to these voices emanating loudly from the center, and I am certain that events such as this will increase the volume of sound from the young people in the south on matters that are important to them".
The evening ended with a poetry slam by poets from the Incubator Theater, who performed for the audience present and recited poems concerning social involvement.
This is the second year of the new department, aimed at growing young designers with knowledge in design and technology, broadminded, flexible in thinking and motivated towards visual expression. The degree is based on a deep understanding of the role of the designer in the age of data and technology, which is constantly developing and changing. During the course of studies the students will develop visual erudition, knowledge of various digital platforms and interactive design thinking.
