Carri Harwig
The always colourful Carri Harwig confesses her love for tactility and discusses what it means to communicate non-violently.
→ You work in the digital workshop and the screen printing workshop, two departments that are seemingly related and also fundamentally different, what challenges does that bring to your working environment?
Carri Harwig: The main benefit for the students is that I am the link between the analog world of screen printing and the digital world of the digital workshop. I help them use these tools and techniques to get what they want to achieve. I also show them how they can utilise both workshops to get results they didn’t know were possible. But really my job is to ask questions to understand them and their projects. Sometimes, students don’t even know that the silkscreens workshop exists, as it’s hidden behind the other workshops.
If you ask me personally, I am actually drawn to the analog side of both workshops: the mixing of fresh inks, the different textures and surfaces of printer paper, the various material possibilities you can silkscreen on. Printing is my expertise, whichever workshop you find me. If you want to print something on whatever material you want, I am here for you. I am fundamentally a tactile person. I still write in a paper calendar and I still take notes with pen and paper. I love the material. I love the texture. I love touching it.
“Initially I was an on-call member of the team but then obviously they couldn’t live without me! I came with colours and a birthday calendar!”
→ How did you end up in the digital workshop?
CH: I was asked back to another digital workshop instructor Bas after graduating from the Academy. During my studies there where two classrooms and a lot of computer workspaces in the digital workshop. I didn’t have a laptop so I was spending a lot of time in the workshop during the breaks to work on the computers. I was talking to them a lot and always asking questions. This is why they thought of me when they were looking to expand the team - I really didn’t expect it. Initially I was an on-call member of the team but then obviously they couldn’t live without me! I came with colours and a birthday calendar!
→ How was the transition from being a student being helped to become the person helping other students?
CH: It wasn’t a big transition for me to be honest. As a student I always had been already more into coaching and helping my other fellow peers. I was always asking my classmates what they were doing, why they were doing it and if they have thought of other ways of doing it. Talking about their projects and the design process is an intrinsic interest. It feels natural for me to guide people through the making processes.
→ Are you still continuing your design practice outside of your role at Design Academy Eindhoven?
If you’re asking if I have a life outside of DAE then yes, yes I do! I actually help a lot of my friends in organising events. Small festivals, parties, set designs and colourful costumes! That being said, I actually made a bitter choice that I just have to let go of my own practice a bit before Covid-19 came. I really didn’t enjoy all the accounting side of things you need to arrange for your own company. Over the last few years I’ve been studying non-violent communication. It’s sort of taken over and it has been my main focus in educating myself and running workshops.
→ What is non-violent communication?
CH: I want to say a thousand things in one word. For me what’s most important about non-violent communication is that there is no right or wrong, good and bad way to connect with yourself, because if you know how to connect with yourself then you’re also more open to connecting with others. It’s very much about having empathy.
So when people come up to you and they look irritated and you only see that, this non-violent communication helps you to see through that. You are able to listen more closely to what they are actually saying and understand how they might be feeling. This person might be irritated. But what he or she needs at this point is someone there to understand and even have the language to help that person express what they are going through, as they might be unable to express it themselves.
I would describe myself as a mediator. I’m hosting some workshops in my neighbourhood on non-violent communication. They are open and free for everyone. These kind of workshops are usually very expensive and I don’t think they should be that way. It’s such a vital skill to have in this day and age. I would love to have an official role at DAE, to help different working groups here in facilitating more open and in turn, healthier relationships amongst staff and students.
→ What’s the most rewarding experience from working with the students?
CH: I am excited when working with students and how they can surprise themselves and what they create. I want to make the workshop as comfortable as possible and to empower them to feel that they are capable of anything. This makes me so happy and joyful. I love sharing their happiness when something goes their way. I love being a part of their process and seeing them grow and develop with every step along the way. Again, it’s the role of being a facilitator that I really like.