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You 'must' enjoy this - student presents her research to Montreal conference

3 min read
10 April 2018 11:04

As an international academic community, we’re always proud to see our students taking the opportunity to present their work at international conferences and exhibitions. This spring, four of our Master's students will be presenting their research abroad.

The first of these is Ivana Spackova, who graduated with first class honours in Graphic Design in 2015. She is currently studying for her MA in Future Design, also at Prague College. She spoke to us about her project, which has been selected for presentation at the CHI conference in Montreal in April 2018. 

'quote-marksEvery year since 1982, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has held a major conference on computer-human interaction (CHI). This year’s conference takes place in Montreal, Canada, where one of the areas of interest is 'Digital Food Futures’.

'My project, called 'MUST', presents a DIY kit that simplifies the expensive science protocols used for grape fermentation to allow everyone to test and explore the wine-possibilities of their local, supermarket (table) grapes. It questions current dogmas in winemaking and investigates the possibilities of supermarket 'chateaus'. Aligned with the wild fermentation movement, it positions itself against mass production techniques, wine standardization, and monoculture. MUST’s 'chateaus' do not try to compare with standard quality wines. They instead present a new product of alternative food culture, independent of rampant consumerism.'

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'I got to know about CHI in Montreal from my tutor, who saw potential in my 'supermarket chateaus' project and helped me to submit a research paper abstract. I am really excited about my acceptance onto the workshop and even more about the very positive review by the commission. I am now preparing for the conference in Montreal, where I will be presenting via telepresence beam robot at the end of April.’

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The Prague College MA programme in Future Design is more focused on critical and theoretical investigation than design principles and visual aesthetics, says Ivana. That allows students to become better researchers, try out different methodologies, speculate about near future scenarios while utilizing new technologies, or create enterprise strategies for start-ups.  Final year projects frequently introduce new ideas of design innovation, and easily attract potential investors in given area.

And after the conference? Will life return to normal for her? Not really, says Ivana...

'Apart from being a busy final year MA student, I am a freelance graphic designer working externally for Publicis One advertising agency where my client is the French Institute in Prague. Occasionally, when time allows, I take up one-off projects. For instance, last year, I designed a logo for a start-up company in the USA, and in the autumn I volunteered in one of the Czech presidential campaigns, while my most recent project was a diploma design for the Czech Table Tennis Association. Added to this, my boyfriend and I are starting a business to do with tourism in Crete, where I plan to move to after finishing my Master’s!

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