Weekly reflections

Once we were happy with the way it looked, we began gluing and tying knots to each component. Then, we set up the tables with the biomaterials, recipes, ingredients and participants’ boards. We also added some lights to create a warm ambience. Above the table went the garland we created, along with our group’s posters. Each of us also set up our personal area, with our own projects, photos and computers on display. On the right side of our table, we also set up our feedback box, where we would ask participants to engage with the questions on each side. Lastly, we hung up our updated fight posters on the string going from one side of the room to the other.

The day flew by very quickly. By 19.30, we had set everything up and were ready to go home.

Tuesday was when the Design Dialogues finally came. It was very rewarding to see each group in front of their own stand, displaying the collective effort they put over the past few weeks, along with everybody’s videos being projected on the big screen in the back of the room.

After making some final touch ups to our area, we defined who would be the host and who would be the viewers for the first hour and a half of the Design Dialogues. I volunteered to present our work first, while Marina and Pippa made their way around the rest of the class’ areas.

I got the opportunity to speak to a lot of people who were curious about our work. Although it was repetitive to talk about the same design intervention over and over again, I tried to make each discussion as unique as possible. I wanted to cater the chat to each person individually as much as I could, that way it would be more interesting not only for me but also the participant. I tried to offer both our collective projects’ goals, work and conclusions but also inserted my own views and plans on the topics.

When the break was over, we went back inside IAAC to resume the chats, this time Pippa and Marina staying by our group table, and me moving around the space. I was pleased to see everybody else’s work, and surprised at how many new things I was learning. It was almost as if we were each so immersed in our own groups that we didn’t really know what everybody else was up to. I really liked Vikrant & Ruben’s DIY Duckweed Incubator, Roberto and Julia’s mycelium bioremediation stand, the Plant-B area and Jeremy’s Emergence playground.

One of the most memorable conversations I had was with Guillem, in which we talked about interaction design and using data visualisation as tools to speak to the general public. We talked about the lack of bridge between the scientific data and everyday people, partially due to a lack of interest, but also the complex vocabulary used. We also noted that oftentimes, designers are cautious when treading the “science” paths, because they do not feel comfortable or competent in that area, because they consider themselves as creatives and not scientists. I realised at that moment that I wanted to work on that bridge, in the in-between of creativity and science.

Moving forward, I think that I will try to lean more towards my skills in creative media, interactive installations, but using them to talk about the topics I deem important. In this way, I will utilize the background that I have, but also stay true to my values and ethics about climate literacy, sustainability, ethical consumerism and waste management.

In the upcoming semesters, these are the skills I want to work on:

• Data visualization,
• Communication,
• Creative Coding,
• Arduino,
• Notch,
• Touchdesigner + Ableton,
• Html + css,
• Building things (fabrication),
• 3D modelling,
• Scientific literacy