Student thesis project up for international design award, and the public can help her win

The project, titled “Silicone Valley: Breaking Techno-Mediated Habits,” explores the effects of networked technologies on our sense of self, spatial perception, and social life, and has already been honored with a Student Notable honor in the Speculative Design category.

A 2019 graduate of UB’s International Media Architecture Master Studies, Papadimitraki explores the effects of networked technologies through a range of behaviors, from socially recognizable gestures and personal quirks, to nervous tics and compulsive behaviors. Taking a critical design approach, her work imagines five speculative devices that break or make techno-mediated habits, as a means to enact alternative interaction between ourselves and our environment. Instead of presenting themselves as answers, the prototypes act as contributions to the debate that might shape them.

Recognizing excellence in all areas of design enterprise, the Core77 Design Awards annually celebrates the richness of the design profession as well as the insight and perseverance of its practitioners. Now in its ninth year, the Awards program remains dedicated to excellence and inclusivity, offering both students and professionals the opportunity to promote their best work on a global scale across 19 distinct design disciplines.

Engaging the architecture and media studies programs at both UB and the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Papadimitraki developed her thesis research under Bernd Rudolf and Jason Reizner (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar), and Mark Shepard (UB).