Dear Rathna,
Could you please remind me of why exactly I need to have a personal web page?
Thank you.
Best,
Rebecca

This wasn’t just a random email. It comes from conversations that Rebecca and I have often – about the tension and nature of our practice, of being both designers and tutors. We also strongly encourage our students to have their work websites up and online by the end of their second year. Rebecca’s email was a reminder to myself about the nature of what I do, and the purpose of this site. Here’s what I said, in response:

Dear Rebecca,
I think its important to maintain an archive of our practice, our work. You and I have a similar approach to our practice. We have intense journeys where we dig deep, and travel far. And then move on to something else. It is important to maintain a log of this journey, and outcomes, if any. This provides reflection. Helps memory. Threads the many journeys together. For me, ‘making’ is an important aspect of my work and practice. The site helps retain a sense of that – that it is not all about thinking and contemplation, but also about doing.
A personal web page is not a broadcast. Its a place of work. For designers who are tutors, like we are, the site helps us commit to our selves and our practice.
Best,
Rathna

I ran this as an introduction brief for my third year students on the BA @ CSM. It was a short one-week brief and a simple, effective way to get students comfortable with bringing their own perspectives to their practice.

Here are three very different results:

Ben Lee

Louise Naunton Morgan

Guglielmo Rossi