Hypothetically, if one of your design's would to be build, what would be the Thank-God-my-teacher-saved-me-from-making-this-mistake mistake? We all have made some bad choices in design and deeply regretted afterwards and blamed them on our lack of sleep or focus while putting it on paper/screen. Lucky for us, most of us are still students, so we're allowed to make mistakes with the twisted aim of actually tripping over them and in the end: improve. However, not everyone is getting these second chances, and before they know it their mistake has become a real life attribute in a rouring city, where it is admired by the everyday reproving eye of the analyst in the crowd, judging: ''you had one job''.
Sometimes the mistake is a cover-up for something even worse. Or, someone was just not having their day. So let's try not to judge, and approach these mistakes as lessons and blessings to become a better designer, thanks to the failure and growth of others.
I recently took the liberty to temporarily modify a part of an exhibition organised at our faculty. This is a reflection on why I did it and what I learned from this about uninvited practice.
I have been walking amongst the neighborhoods and downtowns of American suburban communities and am noticing the frequency of cracks, potholes, and aging-in-place of infrastructure. These are things we (the user) view as mistakes or imperfections, but the manufacturer and maintenance crew expects. They are known obsolescences which come with time, yet we are surprised anew when we trip on a crack or drive over a hole. I am curious if these have a purpose beyond the physical phenomena which shaped them.