Jun 1, 2021
Vancouver, BC – Langara College’s Design Formation program and the Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) collaborated to launch Sea Signals: Communication at Sea, a virtual display that brings together digitized artifacts and archival material that represent communication at sea.
Whereas many of the Design Formation exhibitions are in-person, immersive experiences, due to the pandemic, the Exhibition Design class used a website to explore the world of Morse code, radios, flags, shipwrecks, and the history of maritime communication. The website was designed in collaboration with the VMM curatorial team.
“It’s exciting for us to see our students applying ‘real-world’ skills and their near professional level of execution,” said instructor Peter Vysek. “The students always put their best effort forward when there’s a real-world tangible result that lives on beyond the class.”
Working with community partners is a unique and fulfilling part of the program for Design Formation Students, made more challenging by online learning and social distancing requirements.
“The Vancouver Maritime Museum is honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Langara College and the Design Formation team on the development of ‘Sea Signals’, a virtual display about communication at sea,” said Duncan MacLeod, Interim Museum Manager, Vancouver Maritime Museum. “The VMM values this partnership as it allows for us to share new offerings with our audiences and strengthen our ties with the post-secondary community. We look forward to working with Langara and the Design Formation again in the future.”
The Design Formation Program at Langara College is a two-year multidisciplinary program that helps students develop skills in 2D and 3D design. This program encourages collaboration among students from a diverse range of backgrounds, which helps to prepare them for further studies and jobs in this field. To produce Sea Signals, students had to learn web-design skills and adapt to unique circumstances.
“While this COVID-pivot project seemed daunting at first, it certainly aided in solidifying my communication and time management skills,” said student Angela Aguilar. “Not only was this project an opportunity to show everything I’ve learned about design and visual communication to convey the story of maritime history, it was also a test of adaptability and grit—which is crucial in every field of work, especially in current events.”
About Langara College
Located in beautiful Vancouver, B.C., Canada, snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College provides University, Career, and Continuing Studies education to more than 23,000 students annually. With more than 1,700 courses and 130 programs, Langara’s expansive academic breadth and depth allows students of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages to choose their own educational path. Langara is also known as snəw̓eyəɬ leləm 'house of teachings', a name given to it by Musqueam, on whose unceded traditional territory the College is located.
About the Vancouver Maritime Museum
For over 60 years, the museum has been sharing stories about our maritime heritage and creating experiences that build bridges between our past and our future. From our unique waterfront location in Vancouver, we welcome visitors to explore exhibitions and take part in programs about life on and around the Pacific Northwest and Arctic oceans. Our most popular exhibition is the RCMP Vessel St. Roch, a National Historic Site housed in our iconic mid-century modern A-frame shelter. We invite a diverse range of voices to share their perspectives, providing a place of connection and building a shared sense of belonging within our community. In all that we do, we inspire everyone to appreciate the profound relationship between humans and the sea.
Learn more.
Mark Dawson
Manager, Public Affairs
Langara College
mdawson@langara.ca
Melanie Jeffs
Marketing Coordinator
Vancouver Maritime Museum
marketing@vanmaritime.com
