International Workshop Week at HIT: When the Elephant in the Room Meets the World of Design

The International Workshop Week at the Faculty of Design at HIT - Holon Institute of Technology has successfully concluded, providing students with a unique learning and creative experience alongside leading designers and artists from around the world. This year's event theme was "The Elephant in the Room" and sparked innovative discourse on topics that are sometimes marginalized in mainstream design conversations.

Photo: Abigail Zamsky

Professor Eduard Yakubov, President of HIT, emphasized the importance of the event: "Design is not just a tool for product development, but a way to examine reality, bring up silenced issues, and generate new discourse. The institute is committed to leading the next generation of designers through social responsibility and innovation."

The International Workshop Week connected students with renowned designers and academics who conducted workshops on groundbreaking topics. Among this year's guest lecturers were Tayo Fatunla (Britain/Nigeria), an international cartoonist exploring the power of caricature in conveying social messages; Barbara Buchanak (Britain), an award-winning architect researching experiential design solutions; and Dmitry Kharshak (Russia), a designer and head of the School of Art and Design in St. Petersburg. Each brought a unique perspective to the question of what design is and how it can change reality. In addition, two professors from Vienna - Ruth Anderwald and Leonhard Grond, until recently heads of the doctoral program for artists at the University of Vienna, whose works have been exhibited in museums such as the Pompidou in Paris and the Tate Modern in London, also participated in the workshop week.

Photo: Abigail Zamsky

One of this year's guest lecturers was Professor Jakob Timpe from the Berlin School of Design, who led the "Un/Applied Arts" workshop, addressing the question of beauty in design – a topic that he says is often pushed to the margins in academia.

"My idea for the elephant in the room” was 'beauty' – a concept that designers in academia use less often, as they usually talk about sustainability or functionality. But in my view, saying that something is simply beautiful is legitimate and even vital."

In his workshop, students worked on designing clothes hangers, attempting to understand how the balance between aesthetics and functionality affects design.
"Some students created beautiful but impractical hangers, others focused on usability, and all were required to confront the question – what is beauty in design," added Timpe, thanking the lecturers, students, and the Faculty of Design team, led by Dean Professor Dudi Ravid, for their warm hospitality and inspiring week.

The International Workshop Week at HIT was much more than an academic event – it was a space for creative thinking, cross-cultural connections, and practical experience with innovative design approaches. The meeting between young students and international designers and artists enabled in-depth exploration of marginalized design issues, exposed new perspectives, and even raised questions about how we perceive concepts like beauty, functionality, and social impact.

The success of this year's Workshop Week once again demonstrates HIT's commitment to leading the field of design in Israel, not just as a technological center but as a home for academia that encourages innovation, critical thinking, and open discourse. The institute continues to train the next generation of designers with the belief that good design not only looks good – it also provokes thought, shapes reality, and influences society.