SAMCARA is a research lab founded by Professor Matthew Waldman to explore creativity and innovation from unconventional angles. Our motto “evolution by design” sets the tone for an educational process not stuck in tradition. We believe that the role of the designer is not only changing, it is already radically different from perceptions of the field even just a few years past. We reject design as a purely aesthetic discipline. We see beautiful design as the result of finding elegant solutions and efficiencies in problem solving, whether that solution finds its expression in language, form, or a

new process.

We strive to democratize technology and knowledge. SAMCARA is a place where people come to challenge what is accepted as “truth” in order to create space for new ideas and new solutions. This is the

root of innovation.

Since the Anthropocene, human evolution has been driven by imagination. Thanks to it, the stories we dream become frameworks for important cultural changes, technological innovation, and social revolution. Therefore, we do not view “speculative” design as science “fiction” – we see it as an important part of the

design process.

Design, understood as “problem-solving” begins with the analysis of language. Language is a tool we use to communicate ideas, and if one can not articulate the concept well in words, then it is near impossible to engage in any meaningful design processes. Language is more than words and grammar on a page or spoken – there is the language of form, language of gestures, language of scent, all with their own unique vocabularies and nomenclature.

Using design as a language, a way to express concepts, we can explore separating language from culture. In viewing language as a tool, we have more freedom to build new structures

and innovations.

Design is a process to create a shared reality – the DNA of our culture – as we improve the world in which we live.

The concept of “future-proofing” is the process of anticipating the future and developing methods of minimizing the effects of shocks and stresses of future events. [Rich, Brian (2014). "The Principles of Future-Proofing: A Broader Understanding of Resilience in the Historic Built Environment". Journal of Preservation Education and Research. 7: 31-49]

Design is human-driven evolution. Like the human being and the use of language or, like technology, it is alive. SAMCARA, in the same way, evolves with new technology, changes as social reality changes. SAMCARA is a mutable learning space, fostering agents of change, and innovation.

We encourage productive criticism, reflective and reasoned questioning, not rebellious opposition. We promote themes of circularity, creativity, feedback from fluid communication between experts, educators and the students themselves.

We model solutions on these 3 axis:

the Physical - the tangible and the sensory, from our own bodies to the natural and man-made worlds they occupy.

the Mental - the interiority of the human and artificial intelligences: creativity, narrative, language, emotion, and learning.

the Systemic - aspects of human society and connection: cities, governments, economies, cultures, and other networks man-made and natural.

Future proofing

The human system (bio-psycho-social), in its aspect or social subsystem, tends to settle at low levels of entropy. It is a zone of comfort and balance regulated by norms, customs, culture, art, thought, tradition, the way of interacting. Everything is regulated, everything is comfortable, predictable, and recognizable. This is not a good state to create innovation. Creating voids of contemplation of the chaos of the universe is necessary to create and to innovate. It requires a diversity of experience and thought.

SAMCARA raises the entropy levels of the students by creating a cacophony of ideas and experiences to create a safe space for new thoughts. Working with groups of humans from different cultures, different gender identities, different traditions and modes of communication enriches the process and inputs.

We are sure that the technologies related to autonomous learning and artificial intelligence will replace much of what is considered the skill sets of current designers, but this does not mean that the role of the designer and creator will disappear. it will evolve.

EXCITING CHALLENGES

A biodegradable world

All of environmental issues can be defined in the areas of sustainability which includes quantifying toxicity in the lifecycle of goods and services. Gene engineering

is finally delivering on the promise of a

lab-grown world of material and products. How does this new future look, feel

and function?

A world without work

With the rise of AI and ever increasing efficiencies in automated manufacture, the very nature of work is changing. For the past 100 years, human identity has become defined by work. What does a future without traditional work roles look, feel, and function?

A world without money

The current view of money is changing. Value is more important than material which frees the concept of value and currency to evolve. How does this new future look, feel and function?

1. DNA engineering and Bio-Design. The future of design may lie in DNA and using more bio-engineered materials for a better sustainable world.
2. Branding. Many companies are struggling not with design issues, but issues of product parity forcing them to compete in the brand space. Branding drives the design process and not the other way around.
3. Material Science. When technology plateaus, often innovation can only be found in new materials. Material science is fast becoming the next big “design” field.
4. The City. Cities play a fundamental role in the socio-economic development of any nation. And they are the key to economic growth, innovation, social progress, culture, knowledge, and diversity. We have to create human-centered cities, designed around the principles and values of the people who live there. Cities with the ability to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks.
5. The future of the society and its regulations and policies: how the new reality is going to be regulated, how the conflicts are going to be solved in the future, what are going to be the impact of the design of the algorithms of the AI systems that are sure to come and replace human input.

ABOUT KMD

KMD trains students to become “media innovators,” our term for the globally oriented creative leaders who participate in the various activities that drive creative societies. Accordingly, we use English and Japanese as our official languages to ensure they can engage in leading-edge activities as members of the international community, while maintaining an environment that is designed to maximize our state-of-the-art network infrastructure. Furthermore, the curriculum and its integrated projects focus on the three pillars detailed below to ensure students are able to “MAKE,” “DEPLOY,” and have an “IMPACT” on the international stage.