This week, we were introduced to two professors who form a collective called Holon, focused on transition design. We discussed the importance of shifting our perspectives as designers from people who try to solve issues as fast as possible to people who try to understand issues as best as possible. This shift in mindset was revolutionary to me, because it highlighted how just because we may try to solve a problem, it might not mean we can solve it properly.
We talked about different theories of change, and layers on which we can act: the iceberg model highlights these layers which vary in depth, from events, to patterns, to underlying structures and mental models. The deeper we go, the bigger influence we can make, but also the more complex and interconnected the issues are.
Before beginning this course, we had been told to divide in groups and design an intervention with a time limit of just a few weeks. This definitely shaped our mindset towards the course contents, and maybe occasionally we got ahead of ourselves.
My group consists of me, Pippa & Marina, and we are naming our design intervention A Case For Waste. Our fight can be summed up as “Tackling the problem of individual waste.” We choose to approach the topic from a biomaterial and creative recycling perspective, by experimenting with the knowledge we are gaining in this field. We noticed that when it comes to the topic of waste, there are two conflicting approaches: do we want to work with new materials that can easily biodegrade, minimising the waste we produce? Or do we want to add value to existing waste material (such as plastic, aluminum or unsustainable mixed products) by recycling, upcycling or sustainably degrading it? We have defined these two categories as “New Materials” and “Existing Materials”, respectively.
Upon bouncing back and forth various ideas, we decided we wanted to host a workshop on biomaterials in which we would invite participants to create sculptures and objects with new materials, using old materials to mold them. This way, they can both generate new, more sustainable objects, whilst repurposing their old, previously valueless objects.
Although we already had all these ideas, we had to take a few steps back and understand the frameworks surrounding the topic of biomaterials. We were asked to look at the bigger picture of our topics. We engaged in various exercises, such as mapping the local ecosystem, understanding our personal “iceberg”, coming up with ideas within our topic but beyond our reach, and positioning ourselves within this specific context.
So, instead of jumping head first into our problem-solving, we created a collaborative Miro board in which we worked on the various exercises and assignments. Below you will find almost all of them, and by clicking on the link you will have access to the complete board.
