Activate characters from the past to interpret an historical narrative using an interactive digital platform
Overview
The Company of Merchant Taylors were once the regulator and trade body of tailoring and its related industries within medieval York, England. The Merchant Taylors’ Hall, a 600 year old building, comprises of the magnificent Great Hall, Almshouse, gardens, and grounds. The Company of Merchant Taylors is one of seven guilds in York whose origin dates to the 13th Century, and one of only three that have existed without a break since medieval times. Until the 1830s the Merchant Taylors’ Company, which included a few women among its members, was essentially a working body of master tailors, drapers, hosiers, and York freemen. Only by leasing their Hall for a variety of purposes, mostly educational, theatrical, or convivial, did they succeed—where most other once celebrated medieval English guilds eventually failed—in preserving their buildings into the early nineteenth century. The Merchant Taylors operate today as a charity organization and the Hall still serves as public meeting place, historical site, education, and event venue.
Brief
Use the historical research for the life stories of tailors Alice Mellar, Ann Doughty, Mary Knapton, Simon Buckton, John Waite, and Frances Beckwith, create a QR code that is displayed on interpretive signs in the Merchant Taylor’s Hall that links to a digital platform with more in-depth information. Work in teams to develop the content, design, and a digital working prototype.
Process
Phase 1: Research and Design Analysis (Absorb)
Phase 2: Concept and Design Proposal (Ideate)
Phase 3: Detailed Design Solutions (Develop)
Phase 4: Design Documentation and Intent (Present)
Course: Design in Europe program, 2024
Community Collaborator: Merchant Taylors Hall, York, U.K.
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Process books:
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