Johannes Recla
About
Hello, my name is Johannes Recla. I am an aspiring Transportation- and Intelligent Mobility Design graduate with Austrian-Italian origins.
Thank you for being interested in my journey:
From my earliest childhood on I have been fascinated about design and in particular about cars. I grew up on a major connection point between Italy and central Europe and I do not recall any time before drawing this moving objects to understand what it is about them that triggers such a strong emotion in me.
Over the years, my desire to become part of the wonderful field of car design grew stronger and while attending a local school specialised in graphic design I chose to present the historical circumstances around Flaminio Bertoni’s admirable “Citroën DS” as my final piece.
It was when I joined a sketching class in Pforzheim, Germany that I was introduced to the “European Institute of Design – IED
Torino” as a prestigious Italian transportation design university and I enrolled at the bachelors’ course for the following term. Thanks to excellent grades and my passion for travelling I was able to broaden my experience by joining the first ever Transportation Design exchange collaboration between my university and Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. After 3 years, I finished my bachelor’s degree with the highest grade 110/110 cum Laude with the final work being a group project
conducted by Seat Automobiles in Barcelona. When finding out about the reinvention of the prestigious RCA Vehicle Design course to Intelligent Mobility Design I did not hesitate to apply for a place. Soon I found that the Royal College of Art puts its focus on innovation and group collaboration. In the first project with the Royal Automobile Club, I was part of the elected winning team. This success was followed by my next course project in collaboration with RCA Fashion where I got my first mentioning in a related Forbes article. I wrote my theoretical Thesis paper about the future of shared autonomous vehicles and criticized the “blind progress” without considering the possible risk of extinction of a major part of the automotive industry as a consequence of standardisation of design and services. Through various workshops and self-learning, I was able to extend my research methods and work hands-on with various materials in order to translate my ideas into realistic physical outputs. After some interesting OEM projects and Hackathons, I got the chance to work on a consulting project together with the IM Design Centre. For my Final Major Project I got in touch with scientists and engineering professionals that led to a first interest of the automotive industry. For this project I was also rewarded with my second mentioning in Forbes .
Torino” as a prestigious Italian transportation design university and I enrolled at the bachelors’ course for the following term. Thanks to excellent grades and my passion for travelling I was able to broaden my experience by joining the first ever Transportation Design exchange collaboration between my university and Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. After 3 years, I finished my bachelor’s degree with the highest grade 110/110 cum Laude with the final work being a group project
conducted by Seat Automobiles in Barcelona. When finding out about the reinvention of the prestigious RCA Vehicle Design course to Intelligent Mobility Design I did not hesitate to apply for a place. Soon I found that the Royal College of Art puts its focus on innovation and group collaboration. In the first project with the Royal Automobile Club, I was part of the elected winning team. This success was followed by my next course project in collaboration with RCA Fashion where I got my first mentioning in a related Forbes article. I wrote my theoretical Thesis paper about the future of shared autonomous vehicles and criticized the “blind progress” without considering the possible risk of extinction of a major part of the automotive industry as a consequence of standardisation of design and services. Through various workshops and self-learning, I was able to extend my research methods and work hands-on with various materials in order to translate my ideas into realistic physical outputs. After some interesting OEM projects and Hackathons, I got the chance to work on a consulting project together with the IM Design Centre. For my Final Major Project I got in touch with scientists and engineering professionals that led to a first interest of the automotive industry. For this project I was also rewarded with my second mentioning in Forbes .
Statement
In London and the RCA I was surrounded by very inspiring tutors, interesting people and smart industry speakers who enhanced my creativity, confidence and added value to my thinking on the way to become a better myself and designer.
I want the final work of my studies to be a great example of how I work:
An important part of my view on design consists in opening up opportunities to build on rather than proposing one final solution.
The outcome is one conclusion of out-of-the-box thinking, intense research and collaboration with new fields as well as practical testing to inform a realistic and intelligent design.
I am excited to have the possibility to be a professional designer and I am always eager to learn and create to one day being able to contribute to the changes and directions of the mobility industry with my own view.
SOUNDS OF THE SCULPTURE | a new era of mobility
LET'S START WITH CARS:
For a century there was no question about what a CAR is: the perfect balance between good design and an energetic roar of the engine was the perfect symbol for a machine coming close to a living being.
The new era of ELECTRIC VEHICLES is lifting this object to a new level as a smarter and eco-friendly solution. The downside is the lack of sound that takes away a huge part of the character and safety on the road.
AVAS is a little speaker-box newly demanded by law to make the silently moving vehicles recognisable when driving at low speed primarily for the safety of pedestrians: In most cases the result is an impersonal and detached humming to imitate what people think an electric gadget should sound like.
PURE Sound&Sculpture sees the opportunity for designers to take on the challenge to merge the visual & acoustic attributes of a vehicle in order to properly express the honesty and pureness of the next generation EVs.
Medium: personal observation, research, articles, reviews
WHAT NATURE SAYS | inspired by an instinct
Have you ever noticed the fluttering sound of a Pigeon when it takes off?
In nature a variety of animals have developed ways beyond their voices as tools for communication. Many birds move their feathers not only to fly but also to give various information to others.
Airflow is a great tool to produce sounds.
In fact, the absense of any audible response of movement in nature is on purpose and used to attack (example owl).
>>>> THE PURE SOUND&SCULPTURE PROJECT TAKES INSPIRATION FROM THESE SENSORY WAYS OF COMMUNICATION BY FINDING NEW TYPES OF VEHICLE EXTERIOR SURFACES THAT ARE ABLE TO EMIT HARMONIC SOUNDS BY MOVEMENT AND/OR BY USING THE NATURAL AIRFLOW WHILST DRIVING <<<<
Medium: Research: observations, articles, natural behaviour studies, studies of feathers
FINDING THE RIGHT TONE | testing the new possibilities
The key to find the right balance is the creation of a sound&shape library:
Static applications of the scientific principles needed for this project can be found in art and architecture. After some helpful insights from industry NHV engineers and fluid dynamics experts the idea of what and how to test got very clear. By finding the right methods, materials and sizes it was possible to sound out a list of very interesting tones. + using an artificial airstream the testing led to very accurate results.
> By putting the results together and dividing them into measurements, materials and reaction speed a first Sound&Sculpture chart to work on was born. All the desired shapes can now be chosen and adjusted for according to the projects' desired sonic and visual needs.
Medium: Testing Materials: Metal plates + tubes with various shapes+sizes, Wood, Paper, Polimer, bottles, rubber | Airflow control: Fan, Car, bicycle, Anemometer
SHAPING THE FUTURE | designing an informed body
A SCULPTURE INFORMED BY ITS FUNCTION:
By using the results of the physical testing it was possible to create an authentic automotive exterior.
> This concept gives designers the opportunity to combine endless new shapes & sounds and create a unique and honest appearance for EVs.
> Another advantage is the possibility to target different audiences with a variety of sound types and placements on the body of the vehicle.
> Strategically placed air intakes, outlets and guides get a revival and become an essencial part of the function of this new kind of communication solution.
Medium: paper & pen, clay, Adobe Ps, Autodesk Alias
ONE WAY TO SEE & HEAR IT | the first of its generation
The styling for PURE Sound&Sculpture quotes the beautiful influences of nature.
The organic surfaces and active elements create a natural and life-like appearance as a bold statement for the new generation of electric mobility.
Strategically placed lights and movement directed towards the target audience visually attract the attention of the other road users and together with the sonic outputs nudge people to pay attention in an unobtrusive, sensory way.
>> THE PURE CONCEPT SHOULD BE SEEN AS ONE PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF INIFINITE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR DESIGNERS TO GIVE ELECTRIC VEHICLES THE NATURAL & HONEST CHARACTER THEY DESERVE. <<
Medium: Sketch, Photoshop, Autodesk Alias & Vred, Blender
the PURE SOUND&SCULPTURE by Johannes Recla
~When the car starts communicating with its surroundings on a sensory level~
THIS IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR DESIGNERS AND AIMS TO SHOW THAT ELECTRIC MOBILITY IS THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS A MORE NATURAL INTELLIGENT MOBILITY!