50 years of design teaching at ISBAT: Between the know-how and the interpersonal skills

Abstract

The emergence of design as a discipline is closely linked to the establishment of institutions dedicated to teaching it. The Bauhaus played a major role in reforming the teaching of the decorative arts, while the École d'Ulm established the very idea of a science of design.
The École d'Ulm established the very idea of a science of design. The teaching of design thus evolved from the Bauhaus 'preliminary teaching' to 'design thinking', a form of extension of design outside its field of activity. This evolution seems to have accompanied the mutations of design throughout the century, from a creative and innovative practice of the object to a global discipline that touches all aspects of everyday life. This study looks at the evolution of design education in Tunisia, and more specifically at the Tunis School of Fine Arts, the first institution dedicated to the teaching of art,
since 1923. Through the different periods that our institution has experienced, we will explore the structures of teaching and their interactions in the transmission of know-how. When did design emerge as a discipline at the Tunis School of Fine Arts? What teaching methods were used? How have they evolved over the decades? What is the place of the 'project' in the various reforms? Secondly, in our institution, the act of teaching is in part a legacy left by masters to their pupils: in carrying out their duties, teachers draw on their own experience and start from the methods developed by their predecessors.
the methods developed by their predecessors and colleagues. Throughout their teaching practice, they adapt their approach and set their benchmarks, creating their own method of transmitting knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills. After all, 'design is above all an attitude', a phrase that has shaped all of us in our careers as students, designers and teachers. What is the current state of this 'attitude'? How effective are we at communicating this attitude? How can design research contribute to teaching in this age of interdisciplinary design? This research does not aim to answer these questions, which are essential to design education today, but rather to explore the history of design education in Tunisia.