The end of year exhibition of the Faculty of Design is an exceptional opportunity to be exposed to a variety of innovative works of the 200 graduates who completed their studies at Shenkar this year. The aspect of examining, researching and expanding the boundaries of professional and social involvement, finds its expression in a majority of the graduates’ works.

In the Department of Industrial Design, sources of inspiration were the city of Tel Aviv, Israeli politics and social problems. For example, the complexity of the Israeli reality finds expression in the project, “The Best of the Land” – unusually provoking chocolate souvenirs on political positions of Israel 2009. Memories of the kibbutz dining room experience find expression in ceramic tableware; or in the work of a student, who designed a surfing glider for the paraplegic - granting improved equal opportunity for this group of users.



In the Department of Visual Communications as well, the students dealt with the status of Israeli society and topics such as family and relationships, with an autobiographical book dealing with the charged relationship between a mixed couple – German and Israeli, family life and the past that bubbles under the surface and seeps into the daily reality. A personal project that deals with verbal aggression - mostly homophobic expressions. Alternative geological research that creates visual – graphic discussion on the subject of multiculturalism in Israeli society. And a dissembled graphic diary that investigates the process of becoming secular.

 

In the Textile Design Department the students’ works fluctuate between innovative and traditional, and between practical and artistic. Students designed materials through textile developments for apparel and home fabrics, such as acoustic wall-covering comprised of felt. Complex work of bolts of lace comprised of threads in layers. Innovative knitted neck jewelery. Carpets and designed objects comprised of material pipes with colorful threads and ropes strung through them. Bath products with an innovation – a non-woven towel for quick drying and extra softness.

The same approach characterizes the Jewelery Design Department. Students designed jewelery comprised both of known materials and interesting combinations of non-conventional ones. A world of innovative shapes and materials was created by a student when she covered decorations of inexpensive crepe paper in metals and plastic, and a series of jewelery was created out of folded printed paper and aluminum. A second student engraved in metal, simulated Tel-Aviv Bauhaus architecture as raw material for her jewelery; while yet another designed a collection out of stainless steel cables, which served as a formative basic mechanism for architectonic jewelery combining miniature figures.

Students in the Interior Building and Environment Department dealt with the city of Tel Aviv. Their final project was conducting comparative research between two iconic, commercial centers; the Carmel Market and Dizengoff Center in order to isolate research issues in a commercial environment.

The graduate exhibitions were shown for 10 days and visited by hundreds of professionals and art and design enthusiasts. Some arrived to recruit talented designers and others to be impressed by the creativity abounding in "Made in Shenkar".