For Kim ’09, design is about the journey

When the refurbished 68th Street Hunter College subway station reopened on Manhattan’s Upper East Side earlier this year, commuters were greeted by three vibrant mosaics.

In decorating the station, the MTA looked to the work of oil painter Lisa Corinne Davis to celebrate the neighborhood’s diversity and opportunities. Cornell Human Ecology’s (CHE) Eddy Man Kim ’09 brought Davis’s vision to life as a design consultant for the project. He translated Davis’s intricate paintings into large-scale mosaics, dramatically increasing their size while preserving the artist’s vision.

“I was tasked with translating the paintings into a larger format, 5 to 10 times bigger,” said Kim, senior lecturer in the Department of Human Centered Design (HCD). “A lot of the work focused on process, understanding the artist’s goals as well as how the tilers worked to scale and adjust graphics to optimize tile shapes and sizes.”

Process is a central theme in Kim’s work, both in his professional practice and at Cornell. He directs the Digital Design and Fabrication Studio (D2FS), a facility that supports teaching and research for both HCD and CHE. D2FS offers design computing resources, digital fabrication tools and professional services to empower students and faculty.

In my teaching, in D2FS, and in my practice, I emphasize versatility to seize a certain design opportunity,

Eddy Man Kim

Kim earned his bachelor of architecture degree from Cornell and has worked across disciplines in the U.S. and abroad, including architecture, media, web, brand and experience design. His clients have ranged from corporations to nonprofits and arts organizations.

“In my teaching, in D2FS, and in my practice, I emphasize versatility to seize a certain design opportunity,” said Kim. “I’m less interested in teaching how to do a task one time, than to teach more fundamentally: how does a certain tool open you to different possibilities?”

At D2FS, students often have the final product in mind. The role of Kim and his team is to help students understand the process of designing and manufacturing that product and cultivate the patience required to see it through. This approach helps students to choose the right design medium and prepares them to navigate more challenging aspects.

D2FS’s collaborative approach extends beyond CHE. The studio partners with other campus units including the Cornell MRI Facility and Weill Cornell Medicine Radiology to 3D print vertebrae and other models to prepare neurosurgeons for complex medical procedures.

“CHE’s origins lie in reading courses integrating scientific knowledge to empower homemakers,” said Kim. “I strongly believe that knowledge gives people agency. That’s the philosophy that we bring to our work with students in D2FS to help them become confident and agile designers.”

Eddy Man Kim stands in front of the mosaic

Eddy Man Kim stands in front a mural in the 68th Street Hunter College subway station in Manhattan. Kim served as a design consultant on the project. Photo by Eugina Song.

Liminal Location mosaic mural by oil painter Lisa Corinne Davis. Photo by JSP Art Photography.

Close up of mosaic tile translated from the work of oil painter Lisa Corinne Davis. Photo by JSP Art Photography

Tempestuous Terrain by oil painter Lisa Corinne Davis. Photo: JSP Art Photography