Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 3/15/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Morgan Chivers Vivian Mak, a graphic design major, looks at the detailed foam sculptures displayed as the culmination of a work process made visible in the show at the Ar-te-fakt show in Gallery 2 Tuesday.

Media Credit: Morgan Chivers Matt Beckman, an Industrial Design major, admires his collegues' work, at the Ar-te-fakt show in Gallery 2 Tuesday.

Take a moment to look at the cellular phone in your pocket or the chair you are sitting on: how did these products come to be? While most of us may not think about it, this is what industrial designers do.

The Industrial Design Student Association attempts to remind people of a forgotten perception in relation to daily entities in their first public display, "ar'te-fakt" in Gallery 2 of the Art building at San Jose State University.

The exhibition, which opened on Monday and will run through Friday, gives viewers a peek into the process of developing commonly used items such as chairs, tape dispensers, bathroom faucets, toy cellular phones and children's furniture. The gallery shows the creative process of industrial design through sketches, mockups and models.

"We want to point out that our field is uniquely situated between art, engineering, invention and human factors," said Kristy Lovejoy, an SJSU student pursuing a second bachelor's degree in industrial design.

The models in the gallery are strictly handcrafted and sculptured.

"This shows the old-school version of industrial design using hands, not computers," said Dominic Peralta, a junior majoring in industrial design.

Polyurethane sketch models surround the finished artifacts cased in glass shelves in the center of the room, providing the steps leading to the completion of the project.

The gallery exhibits such objects as a tape dispenser, cellular phone and furniture from its conception phase to the completed product.

The beginning of the concept is expressed onto paper in the form of a drawing, followed by handcrafting it into the actual shape into a sketch model into the final phase, which is the presentation model.

"It is an exciting space where we have direct impact on people's lives," Lovejoy said. "The pieces you will find in the gallery are the students' vision of what everyday products should be like."

Some projects can take up to a whole semester to be completed, according to the designers.

"This is why we have a strict no-touch rule," Lovejoy said.

A creation of WaldenMar Drozdek, the modern tape dispenser on the glass shelf, was inspired by a plumber bending downwards; the tape is the head, the arms are the sides of that hold the tape in place, and the part where the tape is dispensed is the butt, said Peralta.

"This is an opportunity to show people what we do," said Jon Corpuz, a senior in industrial design.

According to Corpuz, the gallery includes the work of about 40 students ranging from freshmen to seniors.

"Out of all the art majors, industrial design has never had a gallery," Corpuz said.

Lovejoy said that due to logistics, most fellow students in the Art building are not aware of what exactly industrial designers do.

"We always felt secluded," Peralta said.

A reception held Tuesday evening, including food and drinks, invited the public and industry professionals to view the gallery.

The industrial design students hope to gain support and understanding of their work from the art department and gain visibility in their field.

"Some lucky exhibitors may land internships, or job offers," Lovejoy said. "By showing our lengthy creative process, we hope to shed some insight into the creation of everyday objects.

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