Institute without Boundaries

A joint project of Bruce Mau Design and George Brown – Toronto City College
2002-present
www.institutewithoutboundaries.com

As inaugural Director of this year-long post-graduate program in interdisciplinary design, I guided and mentored two student teams in 2003 and 2004. At the IwB, students learn by doing -- by developing original ideas and solving complex, real-world design problems in a high-stakes, public context, with the support of the BMD studio and its resources.

The method of the IwB is not identified with specific content or techniques, but an iterative process generating creative insight, intellectual rigour, and clarity of communication. Risk-taking and productive criticism are central to this method. As critical members of the design team, students share the responsibility for ensuring the project meets the high standards of the BMD studio.

 

Massive Change In Action

Bruce Mau Design and the Institute without Boundaries in collaboration with the Canadian Heritage Information Network
2005
www.massivechangeinaction.virtualmuseum.ca

Massive Change In Action is an online project offering specially developed tools for learning, tailored to high school teachers and students. My responsibilities for the project included co-production, editorial direction, and art direction.

The site features stories drawn from the Massive Change exhibition, expanded and enriched with illustrations and accompanied by learning objects that support constructivist learning methodology. The site’s toolkit includes a Massive Change Glossary, a Story Formula for analyzing and writing about the power of design, and a set of Learning Activities for use in the classroom, in the exhibition, and in local communities.