The origins of Skunk Control are not what one expects. Nick Athanasiou, Creative Director of Skunk Control tells the story of how this design studio came to be
I was tasked with the running of a year-long Foundation Studies Course at a University that would provide unsuccessful students with a pathway into a university course. It became apparent within a few days of the course commencing that chalk and board wasn’t going to be the best way forward. Instead, content would be taught via doing. Alongside an increase in practicum and hands on programs where academic contents was taught via a hands-on approach, a series of outreach programs (for the community) were developed.
Here, students took scientific concepts and both developed and ran hands-on (maker based) outreach programs for younger students where the aforementioned scientific concepts were explored in a hands-on/maker styled way. These community-based programs provided many of the students with an ability to not only better communicate complex concepts (and hence better their own understand of them) but became aware that they could contribute to someone else’s education. This was critical in their own learning process and provided them with a self-worth that some hadn’t recognised in themselves (a humility in knowing that they could assist and impact others in a positive way). It was a big turning point for many of the students. Such outreach programs further expanded through a series of additional community centric programs.
Many of the students went onto graduate from their University courses and then came back to work within the Foundation Course to assist the next generation of students. Skunk Control was a natural outcome of this gathering of students (now staff).
As is often the case, all good things come to an end. As a consequence of Covid and prior to that, University programming, Skunk Control exited the University some two years after the Foundation Studies course ended. Here we are, using science and art to provide the community with opportunities for delightful discovery and a dash of visceral wonderment.