Briefing session on Product Development and Design Training Workshop

“What is that textile that you can create differently that the people have not seen and even you have not seen?” Dr. Joseph Lo asked the participants during the information session this morning.

Participants who will be attending training workshop on Product Development and Design Training Workshop attended an information session on the 1st February 2019 at the RTA.

Dr. Joseph Lo, a trainer from Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage briefed the participants about the training which will begin from 4th March 2019 at the RTA.

The participants were briefed on the aims, objectives, outcomes, and course structure of the training. The workshop aims to produce a collection of products that reflects Bhutanese cultural references. The collections will showcase a range of products and product lines that employ different design tools that will attract tourists (as well as locals) to purchase.

They will learn about understanding a product (what is a good product?), designing tools, culture-led design, design principle, color harmony, design elements, and product lines through Experiencing, Exploration, Experimentation, Meditation, and Recollecting method which Dr. Lo introduced as ‘Andragogy Adult Learning Model’ to the participants.

The workshop training is expected to set new standard for textile-based products, and trail blazing, trend setting, and showcasing innovation and creativity while embedding high quality standards.

Dr. Lo told that people take variations of product as innovation of product which is not true. “What is that textile that you can create differently that the people have not seen and even you have not seen?” he prompted.

One of the participants was quoted saying, “I have been at home with the new born baby, and I felt like being part of this would get me back to my interest, get a break from my family and work. It is always nice to seek fresh perspective.”

At the end of the training workshop, each of the collection will be judged, the winner of the competition will be awarded with a meritorious certificate from the Royal Patron Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, and will be awarded a contract to produce the collection exclusively for the museum shop at the RTA.

Furthermore, the winning collection will be submitted to participate in World Crafts Council 2020 Award of Excellence program and for Good Design Award in Japan 2019.

The workshop will start from 4th March and end on 23rd May 2019.