‘Through an interplay of design and research, the apt questions and necessary tools can be discovered and applied to each research project.’
Antal Ruhl is a researcher within the Situated Art, Design and Technology research group and a tutor at the Communication & Multimedia Design programme at Avans University of Applied Sciences in Den Bosch.
Antal was trained as an industrial product designer at the Hague University of Applied Sciences. After his master’s degree in Media Technology at Leiden University, he focused on conducting research by creating custom interactive tools. Antal also studied at UCLA (USA) Design | Media Arts for two semesters, to further develop his research in combination with his practice in the artistic field. He subsequently specialised in designing and creating interactive installations for events, festivals and brands.
Antal has worked as a tutor in the Communication & Multimedia Design programme in Den Bosch since 2013. He is responsible for providing courses in the development of interactive installations and research skills. By making use of prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics, and software at an early stage in the design process, a realistic picture of the possibilities can be readily formed. Interaction and testing with users is central to this, and technology only plays a facilitating role. Immediate testing quickly results in improved iterations of the product. Through an interplay of design and research, the apt questions and necessary tools can be discovered, applied and built upon in each research project.
In addition to his work as a tutor, Antal is an independent product designer and develops interactive installations for various clients.
Tactile Interfaces
This research focuses on an interface that allows you to ‘see’ feeling.
Publications
Ruhl, A. (2024, June) Sensory Augmentation Devices: Insights from a Research Through Design Process, ISEA International 2024
Research Group: Situated Art, Design and Technology
The research group Situated Art, Design and Technology (SADT) focuses on the societal embedding and embodiment of knowledge production that art and design research enables. The conducted research contributes to a deeper understanding of technological developments and their impact on people, society, and the environment, and to the development of situated approaches in the creative sector and beyond. In doing so, it advances a wider acknowledgement of artistic and design research as a mode of knowledge production, one that is grounded in creativity and critical imagination as a way of generating insight into, and intervening in, societal transitions driven by technology.
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‘People are the product of their relationships with their environment. It’s important to understand how technological developments influence these relationships.’
Michel van Dartel 
‘‘Understanding how creativity and imagination emerge from interactions with our environment will lead to improved innovation processes, tools and technologies.’’
Alwin de Rooij
‘My practice explores how technology participates in relational embodied systems - how bodies, sensors, and materials co-compose stories of attention and response.’
Mark Meeuwenoord
‘Beauty lies in connecting different parties and creating equal opportunities. I believe in the power of kinship, collectiveness and critical thinking. ’
Eva van den Boogaard
‘My practice is situated in between different actors, in this shape-shifting middle many things can happen.’
Tara Karpinski
‘Imagination is the key to a strong inclusive society. Artistic work and situated design can contribute to a better understanding of the other.’
Jenny van den Broeke
‘Investigating the potential of sensory augmentation to bridge the sensory gap between deaf and hearing.’
Michel Witter
‘Humans are atmospheric beings, particles, dust, in intimate cycles of exchange, actors with an incredible force.’
Annemarie Piscaer
‘Could experimental sensory translation of art works improve their accessibility for sensory diverse exhibition audiences?’
Eva Fotiadi
‘The tacit and embodied knowledge of practitioners about the complex reality of design can provide an important resource to innovate how we learn and teach’
Sarah Lugthart
‘How can the notion of the ‘script’ be used in a situated design practice? ’
Ollie Palmer
‘The ultimate goal is to provide people with the information, skills and tools that enable them to improve the quality of their daily lives.’
Simone van den Broek
‘For me, the iterative design-research process is an exciting journey towards designs that can transform human consciousness.’
Danielle Roberts
‘The essence of the situated, cinematic experience of dance lies in the mental interaction where the public becomes co-author.’
Noud Heerkens
‘Who benefits?’
Ivo Koolen
‘Getting comfortable with ambiguity enables designers to absorb feedback and use it to make better design choices.’
Gabri Heinrichs
‘I look at the ways in which citizens can play an active role in shaping their cities, and how new media and technology can contribute to this.’
Barbara Asselbergs
‘Power, control and chance play an important role in every creative process. I explore this complicated correlation.’
Michiel van Opstal
‘Attention during interaction is personal, not a given fact.’
Misha Croes