THE FUTURE OF SHOPPING
an on-line workshop to master the workflow from ideas to AI generated images, into 3D models and animation.
For nearly as long as people have existed, they have been sharing, selling, and consuming resources. From Mom-and-Pop to Online retail, shopping has both created and transformed our identities in society. The word shopping today signifies more than the mere purchasing of goods. From the Paris arcades to the suburban mall, buying has been an essential part of urban life throughout the 20th century.
In the last 15 years, the experience of shopping has undergone a revolution. Instead of shopping primarily in person at malls like we used to, today’s shoppers can buy things from nearly any device or app and have them delivered nearly instantly. Two years of pandemic have drastically accelerated the reliance of online shopping on-demand and fast delivery. And most recently data based on a customer's shopping preferences, demographics, and social media activity have informed AI and other machine learning algorithms to track user behaviors. As a result, the data is utilized to enhance both the in-store and online shopping experiences.
About the workshop:
The Future of Shopping is a workshop that asks students to envision what shopping will look like in the next 10-15 years. The belief behind the workshop is that shopping will be more about experience than product. Methods of payment, supply stocking, production/distribution, merchandize display and delivery will change in response to the advance of AI and fast mobility. The shopping experience will seamlessly move between the physical and digital worlds to give customers exactly what they want when they want it. Brands will balance being technology-driven and personalized, but physical stores will still exist as showrooms to provide immersive experiences.
Course Organization:
During this 8-day workshop students will develop their personal take on the shopping experience and will use Midjourney to visualize concepts though generative AI. MidJourney is an image generator currently in open Beta and allows its users to feed in their prompts on Discord and then generate images akin to the text. Trained on a wide set of images of different art and architectural media, styles, and historic precedents, this tool associates reliably ‘aesthetic’ images, often delightful and whimsical, to simple text prompts.
Students will then explore 3D digital modeling and learn how to translate AI generated images into a 3D model. Students will use C4D and Octane Render to produce an animation that displays their conceptual and aesthetic take on shopping.
About the students:
The class is foundational and open to creative individuals interested in digital art. The tutorials will cover all the tools and workflow necessary to produce the final project. Throughout the length of the workshop the students will receive personalized feedback and instructions. By the end of the class, each student will master a personal sensibility towards the use of colors and materials and will build a visually striking portfolio. The class will culminate with a public broadcast final review, where students present their design work and receive feedback from design professionals and faculties.
About the Tutors
Elena Manferdini, principal and owner of Atelier Manferdini, has twenty years of professional experience in architecture, art, design, and education. Elena currently teaches at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and is the Graduate Programs Chair. In 2019 Manferdini was honored with the ICON Award as part of the LA Design Festival, which is a prize that recognizes iconic women who have made an indelible mark on Los Angeles, culture, and society in general through their work, character, and creative leadership. Elena Manferdini loves art, creativity, inventions and deeply believes in the positive power of education and creative collaboration.
Kumaran Parthiban was born in Chennai, India. He earned his bachelor Architectural degree from MEASI - Academy of Architecture, Chennai in 2017 where his learning focused on practice oriented Architectural Design. After graduation he practiced as a licensed architect in Chennai, winning invited competition projects with Oscar and Ponni Architects. He has taught Architectural Design and trained interns at both OCI Architects and DVS Center, Chennai. He graduated from the M.Arch 2 program, SCI-Arc in 2020. His interests lie in speculative architecture, aesthetics and representation.
Keynote speakers:
In Addition to the tutors, the workshop will feature several lecturers that will share with the students their take on shopping. From historians to contemporary practitioners, these lectures will enrich the students’ ideas and design proposals.
