Three years ago I got a job at as a student administrative assistant at an office I have never heard of at Ball State University - The Center for Media Design. I now sit there in the afternoons and listen to campus tours guides give inaccurate, incomplete or no information at all on what I think is one of the most interesting places of business on campus.
The basic facts to know are that the Center for Media Design, or the CMD, is a non-departmental office (meaning they give no degrees) funded by a second 20million dollar Lily Endowment Grant: The Digital Exchange.
But this doesn't answer the simple question of exactly what is done in this elusive office in the Ball Communication Building. The purpose of the CMD is to explore digital media, what it is and how it will impact how we live, learn, work and play. Simply put we’re here to explore and immerse ourselves and students in emerging media.
What I think makes the office unique, though, is how its space is used.
When you walk by the front windows you will see a plethora of screens, a Wii and one of 3 Microsoft Surfaces on campus - all of which you can come in to watch and play with. Though the main CMD office acts as the home for the Administrative branch and the Insight and Research unit, it doesn't feel like an office - its not stuffy or comprised of cubicles in an Office Space-like environment. The space itself is not what you'd expect as you round the corner past the reception area - an open layout with high ceilings and a mezzanine where Insight and Research works on observation studies with industry partners like the Neilsen's Council for Research Excellence and usability studies for digital screen designs.
Insight and Research is not the only institute under the CMD Administrative arm. There are 3 Immersive Learning Institutes and the Digital Corps, which are housed in offices and labs throughout Ball State in the CAP building, Muncie downtown at Mitchell Place and at the Ball State Indy Center . These previously mentioned immersive learning institutes allow students to get hands on experience in their field of interest.
That to me is one of the best parts of the Center for Media Design: the discourse and environment that helps to make a different atmosphere. Robert Sack discusses how the rules of conduct determine how a space is used (like in museums – look but don’t touch!) in his 1993 article, The Power of Place and Space. But here at the CMD we are not a museum; we encourage being hands on, getting involved and please, touch! What good would a Wii and a Surface be if you couldn’t play with them? What good would an education be if you didn’t get the hands on experience?
So lets recap some of the reasons why the CMD has, what I think to be, an awesome use of space that we should see more of in Muncie.
1. From the minute you walk into the reception area all the way around the office to the Emerging Media space on the other side this space does not feel like an office, yet it is a place of business on campus that is getting some unique work done.
2. 5 different institutes spread across campus and Muncie all connected through one main office – all communicating and getting that previously mentioned unique work done.
3. Allowing students to immerse themselves in projects whether it be working on an independent film, learning new software or working in digital fabrication- its a hands on place. Don't be afraid to touch and get involved, the rules here are different!
