Slow Design by Design Studies

SLOW DESIGN by Vivek Barapatre, Megan Maxwell

5 6 8

Title Page Introduction Research Methods

Immersion into Nature

The Object

CONTENTS

Collecting Materials

Natural Forms

Connection

24 27 28 31 33

Image Collection Conclusion Self Reflection, Barapatre

Self Reflection, Maxwell

Bibliography

HOW MIGHT CREATING RITUALS HELP ENHANCE EMOTIONAL DURABILITY?

Introduction Climate change has become the greatest story of the 21st Century and only recently with it being classified as a “crisis” has there been an exponential level of interest from the media and general public. However to many, this it is not new information, there has been challenges in climate change for decades and it continues to be a complex problem with social and economic impacts. Having emerged as part of the Slow Movement in 1986, Slow Design is an ever changing movement with an aim to balance that of socio-cultural and individual needs with the well-being of the earth and the environment, allowing users to have greater personal care and appreciation for the process, as further discussed by researcher Luke Fuad in his thesis, Slow Design - a paradigm shift in design philosophy? This also allows one to understand the subsequent implications of the product/services existence. The slow approach choses quality, experiences and has the journey at the core of the design over the destination. It encourages users to actively participate, valuing the overall process over the result, giving the creation meaning and significance to the user. Taking the right amount of time to go through the process of something, reveals its true nature and worth. While there are many aspects to Slow Design, most importantly is the focus of the psychological effects of design, and how this can ultimately help create and improve sustainable design. Often overlooked by designers, the key to creating long lasting sustainable products is within the psychological and emotional bond that both appeals and nourishes the user. By doing so, consumers would have greater personal meaning to the object, one in which they would choose to keep, preserve and repair, rather than dispose and wastefully re-purchase within a short amount of time. The way in which you involve yourself with an activity, perform and sequence it into your life. Slow design is evolving into a ritual, often stripped back to be simple, pure, conscious and ethical allowing a deeper and enriched experience. Ritualising the experience allows one to make something meaningful out of the mundane.This means that although the systems or materials that the object is used to be created may not be categorised as ‘sustainable’, objects that generate personal attachment are equally important to sustainable design. Understanding this, investigating through the practical research of certain methods we hope to ultimately create a propositional object the symbolizes the importance of how actively engaging within the process of an object’s creation can enhance the emotional durability and attachment to objects, allowing for greater sustainable products.

Research Methods Sensory boards are often used as a practiceled research method. The introductory research method engages visual and tactile artefact exploration. Primarily engaging your 5 senses; it is a mood board which uses found textures, objects, materials, anything that is used to physically visualise and express questions and problems. This process allows for an enriched primary research method as the creator takes the time to physically connect with the individual components to later be observed and considered. To better understand and visualise our own questions, we explored a variety of different objects that we think respond to them in our own way. In keeping with slow design and sustainability, only used, found and recycled objects were included. When conducting this research method, we found it to be very useful to better understand and visualise our questions, as it forces you visualise the key elements in a way you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t used to whilst also being understanding to others. Key findings can also arise from this that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have otherwise; elements such as a paint brush can represents the idea of DIY and hand-made , symbolising the importance of being involved within the process to enhance emotional attachment. For the purpose of this task, through the elements that make up the individual sensory boards, we combined our boards together to create a collaborative board. This was an effective way to understand the important aspects of one and othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; views and interpretations on our key slow design values, which helped significantly when re-editing our question. Our Sensory Board consisted of objects and materials in correspondence to the ideal of uniqueness, attachment, personal and connections.

Mind Mapping As a primary research method, mind-mapping is a highly valued method for generating ideas and understanding the process and journey of your thoughts. The purpose of this method, for developing an idea of an object we could use to respond to this question, enabling time for reflection. A great way to visual and gather the data flowing through our mind. A powerful tool allowing great analysis and comprehension yet appears simple. Beginning with our key words emotional durability and ritual we were able to discover commonalities and connections between the two ideas. After the initial stages of mind-mapping it became clear that we had new paths and routes to explore.

ENHANCED

SIMPLE

PURE

DURABLE

CULTURED

EXPERIENCE

SUSTAINABLE NON TOXIC

RICHER

HOLISTIC EFFICIENT ADAPTABLE SLOW

COMMUNITY

PEACEFUL

JOURNEY

QUIET

FRIENDS GRADUAL SOCIAL

FAMILY

NOT THE DESTINATION

DEEPER TRAVEL

ORGANISATIONS

Sustainable Materials

Nostalgia Texture

Ritual of use Uniqueness Attachment

Strength

Homeware

Emotional Durability

Meaning

Longevity

Personal Depth Richness

Importance

Passion Connection

Ritual

Occassion

Habit

Routine Experience

Immersion into Nature When responding to the question, nature can both connect with the physical and metaphorical aspect of the idea of emotional durability and sustainability. Immersing ourselves in a walk into nature was a slow and mindful process. There are scientific benefits to regular walks in nature, mental, physical and emotional amongst many. Through an immersion into nature it was discovered that we experienced inspirational benefits to taking the time out of our busy schedules to allow for our minds to expand. Walking in nature is a multi sensory experience, our eyes taking in the beauty of nature, our ears listening to the songs of the birds and our hands touching the textures of the trees and the ground walked on. We found uniqueness to the textures and visual impacts of the environments surrounding. From the physical shape and texture of the object; all objects of nature are never the same and have their own specific unique identity. This could be seen as a representation of uniqueness of objects which is a key factor of the idea of object attachment, as it represents a sense of individuality, an important aspect to consider when valuing somethingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth to someone. For example, objects and materials of nature can be described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;durableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as many things found in nature can last for thousands of years. As they are objects of nature, this would also mean that they are and symbolise sustainability. Combining the three research methods allowed for an opportunity to visualise our question, what that could look like as an object and how this could further develop. Over time the ritual of making over buying becomes your story and personal journey. Collectively our aim is to continue developing in this transition to create a propositional object capturing the importance of this.

The Object The aim of our object is to highlight the importance of personal connections and hence the idea of creating emotional durability and aesthetic sensibility. Creating rituals and significance out of everyday activities that you might not have considered important in your daily routine. By doing this, it slows you down and allows you to understand somethings true worth and nature. We found from our research that the more time you give to something, the more important and meaningful it becomes to the user/creator. It also allows you to spend the right amount of time for you to create deeper personal connections with the activities and objects; this is one of the underlying factors in which creates meaningful objects to users. This then can in turn create the idea emotional durability and aesthetic sensibility with objects, enabling more sustainable design. Kitchen utensils is something we both identified as objects that we have attachments too but are also often somewhat objects that are underappreciated in daily routines. In addition to this, we intend to create our object out of organic elements from nature, in an attempt to highlight the need for sustainability and the importance of being in touch and aware with the earth and our surroundings.

Figure 8 - Studio Formafantasma

Collecting Materials

Natural Forms In keeping with our main aim for the propositional object, it was of high importance to find organic elements and raw forms. The second immersion into nature to collect materials was a slow process, evaluating each twig and found object in nature was essential to collecting the appropriate forms.

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Natural Forms As well as looking for forms whilst collecting materials, another stage of evaluation arised post-immersion and allowed another critical moment to look at what was gathered.

Connection Reason behind the design is surrounding emotional durability and our connection to past objects. Creating rituals and significance out of everyday activities that you might not have considered or realised. By doing this, is slows you down and allows you to understand somethings true worth and nature and allows the time for you to create deeper personal connections with the activities and objects. This then can create emotional durability with things like objects, enabling more sustainable design. Kitchen utensils is something we both identified as objects that we have an attachment to, so they are objects that we always use. Natural materials and nature- symbolises the need for sustainability and the need to be in touch and aware with the earth and our surroundings. We found from our research that the more time you give to something, the more important and meaningful it becomes to the user/creator.

Conclusion Through our research, we have identified that actively engaging in a design process is one of the ways in which can enhance the amount of attachment and personal value you have to an object. Instead of going to simply buy items, engaging with the process by becoming involved in its creation, gives it greater personal meaning to the creator/user, due to ideas such as uniqueness and individuality. This is important as it means that people will be less inclined to keep repurchasing, which can be a wasteful use of the finite materials and resources of the earth, and rather preserve and restore what they already own. Over time the ritual of making over buying becomes your story and personal journey. In responding to our question and ultimately creating a final propositional object symbolizing the importance of this, through our research we have identified nature and using natural objects as a way to express this. Having identified personal connection and meaning to kitchen utensils our object responds to the slow design principles through; - Revealing the natural aspect of the materials - Engaging with nature and the slow process - Participate in the making process and ritual of use The object materials are all found in nature and gathered over a period of time giving our outcome a slow process of finding and discovering the materials and ways that they can be used. The leaves found will slowly transform their appearance over time creating this raw slow change. Our object symbloizes the attachment over time and emotional connection to an object, memories over time with the object, the possession and habits surrounding it. Kitchen utensils is an objects that we both identified as having a personal connection, making an everyday activity something important, made so that we hold more value to it.

Vivek Barapatre Having undergone the activities and especially the creation of the final object during the course of this semester, I have gained a valuable insight and understanding of the diverse ways one can interpret an approach to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sustainable designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Through the first research task, I could see an inherent interest on the psychological effects of design, and the idea around aesthetic sensibility as a new approach to sustainability in design and one of the more important aspects of Slow Design to me. The key to creating long lasting sustainable products might be within the psychological and emotional bond that both appeals and nourishes the user, something that is often overlooked by designers in the todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. Objects which consumers would have greater personal attachment, are more likely to be preserved and repaired, rather than dispose and wastefully re-purchased within a short amount of time. Developing and exploring these ideas further within the second task, ultimately allowed us to create our final object which we believe symbolises the importance of personal connections by meaningfully engaging with activities and objects, creating the sense of aesthetic sensibility or emotional durability to the user. Having completed this course, I feel better prepared for the rest of my studies than I did at the beginning, and ultimately as a designer and life beyond within the industry.

Megan Maxwell Having been presented the idea of Slow Design in the beginning, there was a great level of uncertainty and lack of awareness on my part. As a designer it was already an aim of mine to be more sustainable and working towards a waste free lifestyle however Slow Design was a new concept. Through many hours of research and guided tutorials it was clear that slow design cannot be captured in a sentence, it is much greater than sustainability and eco-friendly yet still goes hand in hand. It was highlighted that the modern day world we live in has become a world fixated on speed and consumerism. After participating in multiple research methods and activities is was shown that taking a slow approach to research greatly enhances the overall quality and content. There became a ritual to researching, immersing oneself into nature, taking the time to analyse and connect with information in comparison to a online search engine. As task 3 approached it was apparent that the time taken and the quality of work was far stronger and my emotional wellbeing surrounding the work was at a high. The approach of Slow design had an all round effect and sustainable long term. Through earlier research it was important to explore the idea of consumerism and sustainability and connection in which consumers have with an object both psychological and emotional. Incorporating the idea of rituals and emotional durability into the propositional object would result in what w viewed as a sustainable design. My individual journey has been thought provoking and allowed both educational and personal growth. Slow design is economic, environmental and social, and as a designer, the six slow design principles will continue to be incorporated into my design process.

Bibliography Harper, K. H. (2017). Aesthetic sustainability: Product design and sustainable usage. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com Fuad-Luke, A. (2010). slow designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a paradigm shift in design philosophy? . Retrieved from https:// carlosfiorentino.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/slow-des.pdf Strauss, C. F., & Fuad-Luke, A. (n.d.). The Slow Design Principles. A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Research and Practice. Retrieved from http://raaf.org/pdfs/Slow_Design_Principles. pdf Green, P. (2008) The Slow Life Picks Up Speed. The New York Times Retrieved from nytimes.com/2008/01/31/garden/31slow.html Van Zuthem, H.M. (2014). Design for community well-being. Unpublished master thesis. Delft, NL: Delft University of Technology https://diopd.org/design-for-community-well-being-guide/ Image List All unlisted - Personal Collection Figure 8 Formafantasma, Studio. (2012). Fendi Installation. Retrieved from https://www.wallpaper.com/design/ craftica-by-formafantasma-for-fendi#pic_55358/