The current epoch of the human’s manipulation of the earth through agriculture, industry and rapid manufacturing, ushered in a new age: the anthropocene. With this new age, the human’s impact on earth, had implicit and explicit implications in economical, geographical and socio technical factors, creating a clear dominant relationship between humans, and how humans use land. In this, design has an imperative role. According to Designing for the Pluriverse by A.Escobar, design is a historical taxonomy of tools, services, actions and ways of being. Every action we perpetuate either collectively or individually is an act of design.
In understanding that our very being as humans on earth is an act of design. Our daily choices and habits in the products and services we use are an unfortunate continuation of the systems, which are mostly based on unfair monetary gain, often with the demise of the earth’s resources. A discourse arises of how we can change our dominant relationship with earth to a symbiotic one. How can I, as a designer, think of radical narratives and interpretations to disrupt the current systems?. Furthermore in my interests in decentralized systems and computing, how can I complement my practice by implementing other value principles that are beyond current fiscal models.
This essay will expand and reflect on the question of what design means to me, how it helps achieve my purpose and how design can be used to transform my world. Some provocations and ideas to answer these questions include:
Design seen as complexity: supporting and designing with the people I design for, through the practice of meta-facilitation. While thinking globally, yet functioning on a local scale- embracing alternative wisdoms and the vernacular, supporting diverse narratives as a design tool for futures thinking. Lastly rethink the systems of progress and value while learning from the sociology of technology. Invite intersection of open source distributed design and decentralized blockchain technology.
Keeping in mind A. Escobar’s definition of design, I welcome the notion that design is embracing complexity. Acknowledging that design is the tool for our actions and being, we then all have composite truths and paradigms which are binary. Designing as complexity moves from having a surveillance, top down approach, to the design process to having a mindset and approach of design that calls for pause, and invites interconnectedness and collaboration when designing with others. In this idea I am leaning to the discourses shared with Sudebi Thakurta. Thakurata introduces the differences between complex and complicated. Often complex issues arise in community, social issues and infrastructure which intertwine, creating a pattern of interconnected problems that often require patience and listening to the constituents of the complexities. Complication often arises when complexities are disregarded. In understanding design as complexity, also occurs in a self embodied approach; putting one’s self in the context of the design as both the subject matter and the researcher. A first person perspective situates oneself in all the scenarios, creating a positionality that when collected with the positionality of others you are designing for, creates meaningful synergy and storytelling, a new kind of facilitation.