LensOn 2019

LENS ON PRACTICE

an exploration into defining my area of design practice

FEB 2019 joao

Introduction In our current post-industrial world there are many established ways to practice design and new kinds of design practices are frequently emerging in response to a changing world.

In the past three years of my education at GSA Product Design course, I have been exposed to a range of different approaches to the practice.

As designers cannot be specialist in all practices, this project asked me to define one approach - a Lens - in order to reflect and attempt a potential direction.

emotional journey

visiting SNOOK

hard to define, fear of limting, confusing, speculative. what is art what is design. shouldnt practice-lens be defined by opportunities?

intro

professional talks

discover

draft brief submission

surprising with good results, great info, timings of events.

presentation of research and initial concepts

define

develop

peoples expectations on delivery, commitment, connections.

diverging concepts

seeing cool stuff from food cultures

workshop story telling

dot-dot and studio pop

peer reviews

Content & project OVERVIEW time forcing outcome

final reflection

final presentation

deliver

Exploring the design practice Before starting with exercises to define the Lens, we were invited to look at the various design practice based on four driving principles:

WHO

WHAT

Working with particular people, places or sectors, such as companies like FutureGov who primarily focus on working in the public sector, or specialising in healthcare either as a consultant or in-house designer. It could also mean who you work with in terms of collaboration, whether you work alone as a designer-maker, part of a company or collective or whether you work with other specialists, from ethnographers to biologists for example.

Focusing on particular kinds of outcome such as Method who centre their offering around brand and digital products, or companies live Engine and live work who specialise in Service Design.

This could also mean specialising in a particular kind of product or working with a particular material as a designer-maker.

HOW

WHY

Focusing on methods and particular ways of working. Companies like STBY who focus on design and ethnographic research, or different disciplinary approaches like Participatory Design, or Critical Design which practitioners like Dunne and Raby have explored as part of an academic practice.

Developing a practice in response to a particular issue such as sustainability or also for commercial motivations, such as an identified gap in the market, like Fiona from Make.Works who saw an opportunity to create a platform to link creative practitioners with manufacturers.

Many practices also bring together different focuses, such as applying a technology in a new context, or using an new approach to developing a design. As a design professional focusing on what you are good at, what experience you have and what you are interested, as well as looking at what is going on in the world around you can help you find your own lens.

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Thinking on defining my “What” and “How” seemed to require specifics. How would I know what would I be focusing, if the type of practice would stem from the findings? As the NHS project [link to ppj] showed me, the outcome was defined by the spotted opportunities in the research/discovery part.

Therefore, at this stage I assumed I would let the “Why” inform me.

WHY

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inspiring practices In order to do this you will identify examples of contemporary design practice which you find inspiring. From your cases, you will then think about the common - or individually distinctive –aspects of those practices that you would like to apply and use these to propose what your own ‘lens’ for this project might be.

LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Project Name: Farm

Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Ar�st: Gary Zhexi Zhang

(displayed in a gallery) - The ar�st looks at blockchain, a technology that promises to raise trust in every poten�al system of applica�on in our society- (i.e. banks, transac�ons, health, food) He explores the rela�onship between heat (generated as a consequence of using this system) and that trust (massive ammounts of energy are needed n order to the system to work, and making chea�ng impossible).

Pairing it to an aqua�c tropical vivarium that needs this heat to sustain and s�mulate life, and in return cooling the hardware, and in so achieve an harmonic symbiosis. - The audience, by entering the room and feeling the palpable change in temperature, and influencing it, also start to be part of the metabolism of this system.

Addi�onally, in a similar piece, the ar�st used this heat to cook a steak, claiming “I would argue that this is the first social useful implementation of the blockchain to date” making a point about how hyped this technology is right now.

Why is it Interes�ng?

The field the ar�sts’ work is focused: How technology shape socie�es. (i.e. Socrates worried that the technology of writing would spread and all the young men in Greece would forget their poetry). Exploring the extents of it: beneficial, detrimental, and coopera�ve futures.

How and why to bridge the technonologic with organic, even if its not in the physical spectrum. (i.e. here the ar�st focused on a social construct - trust). Biology + hardware - the achievement of joining them efficiently. perhaps solely by aesthe�cs of it. both fields are a�rac�ve - crea�ng/ manipula�ng life with our hands - designers as god?

The fact that this two modules are not just suppor�ng each other but can also be an output for a food source, and in so support a third component - human life+ its society.

It makes me think on an upgrade to home aquaponics for self sustenance. Tackles paradigms, triggers discussions - how blockchain is a clever engineering solu�on for trust, but also an�social by causing less physical interac�ons.

Key Words Techno-ecologies & social engineering; future; experiment; specula�ve; sustainability; metaphorical

LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Project Name: Vienna Summer Scouts Designer: Johanna Pichlbauer

sensing the smoke of BBQs in the park - an indicator that summer has arrived!

We experience the city differently as it evolves and becomes more intelligent, developing new sensing organs. The smart city op�mises our routes, manages the distribu�on of resources and makes life more comfortable for its ci�zens, but what about the emo�onal poten�al of a city?

Who measures and releases that?

The city of the future will reach out its antennas to sense impercep�ble ac�vity in its emo�onal layers. It is o�en the rudimentary things that bring ci�zens together, crea�ng an unexpressed common understanding that we are all parts of something much larger. The first snow. The quiet before a big storm. A heatwave in May. A set of ‘Summer Scouts’ consis�ng of seven very carefully posi�oned sensors, me�culously observe the urban environment to report to the city’s data headquarters, confirming to the ci�zens when summer has arrived in Vienna.

Why is it Interes�ng?

I like the wat that is using technology to actually create a more organic city, a urban place that senses; Capture and interpreta�on of data to produce tangible assump�ons; The whimsical seman�cs in the products, giving them dis�nct personali�es; The making of these.

Key Words

Extract key words that summarise main aspects that you find interesting and want to explore.

smart ci�es; electronics; data; whimsical; making

LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Project Name: Food Facility Designer/Organisa�on Name: Mar� Guixé

Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Based on digital search engines, the Food Facility was symptoma�c of the change in analogue thinking and ac�ng a�er the emergence of internet. FOOD FACILITY: Food Facility was a working prototype restaurant where the central kitchen is replaced by kitchens of exis�ng take-out restaurants in the area. You were invited to make a choice from the menu of these take-outs and consume your order at Food Facility. FOOD ADVISER: In a comfortable and social ambiance a food adviser gave you advise on the quality and es�mated delivery �me of the different takeout dinners available and placed the order for you. FOOD DJ: A food dj received the order from the scooter delivery boys and did away with the abundance of wrapping materials before the food adviser served it to you at your table.

Why is it Interes�ng?

It is a different way of doing something that is done in one way. The concept is refreshing because it brings variety, wi�y because it gets inspired by a system that was not thought to be made for restaurants, and comedical because of its paradox - a restaurant with no kitchen. The roles of people were rethought.

Key Words

Extract key words that summarise main aspects that you find interesting and want to explore.

systems; public; experimental; food; service; pop-up

LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Project Name: (Folk design) / Disobediencia Tecnologica

Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Designer/Organisa�on Name: Vladimir Arkhipov / Ernesto Oroza

The authors travelled and collected objects that people created due to necessity, boredom or igenuity;

Why is it Interes�ng?

The theme fascinates me; Products from non designers/people as designers; the documenta�on elevates it;

Key Words hacking; folk design; DIY; culture; u�litarian; documen�ng; stories

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LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Project Name: brand archeologies

Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Designer: Pedro Carvalho de Almeida

As we got the chance to know this year in our BrandX project, P. Almeida had a por�olio of working with brands and rehabilita�ng them through a process he called Brand Archeology.

Looking at the history and the archives of brands as key to inform a visual iden�ty and a closer to the origins story to tell.

Why is it Interes�ng?

Rehabilita�on of local communi�es/cra�s/ economies through revival of a brand; A very tangible way of success/meaning/value - everyone, even from outside design world, can immediately see and understand the value of this design prac�ce.

Historical value;

Key Words branding; revival; visual iden�ty; cultural heritage

LoP _ Example of contemporary design Practice Project Name: Please Feed the Lions

Descrip�on of Project/Prac�ce

Designer: Es Devlin

Please Feed The Lions was an interac�ve installa�on in Trafalgar Square by Es Devlin, known for her innova�ve projec�on-mapped sculptures that fuse light, music & tech.

Why is it Interes�ng?

More about the possibilites of this type of work than this work itself;: The fact that art is s�ll more present/displayed in galleries/museums instead of outside them, it is something that makes me think that should change. Art for everybody, making public scultpures more relevant, add value to places and to ones’ stroll. If it is public art, why is it not focused in the public then?The work of art enriches the experience that passersby have of their par�cular urban surround.Along this lines, some of Greyworlds’ work.

Key Words public; interac�ve; par�cipatory;

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This exercise was not easy, as I find many projects inspiring. I had trouble sticking with 3-4 projects as it felt I was limiting other areas of interest. One thing was clear, I am a design enthusiast. With this exercise some other words were added to the my Lens.

WHY systems speculative

tech experimental

DIY

cultural

I now had more questions: some lenses of classmates would start having qualitative adjectives instead of practice related words, and when trying to do it, it actually helped me defining a feel or style, but I thought my Lens turned out to be of a more artistic tone, so I kept focused on themes.

COMPANIES / DESIGNERS After looking at projects, I have looked at companies to see if they would encapsulate design practices of interest. Grayworld had captured my interest in 2nd year, but right now, maybe because I was excited about my branding project, speculative design was a very exciting possibility, so Dunne&Raby came up.

I liked the public artistic interventions of one, being poetic with little and with the potential to improve city life, and the other to be provoking, forward thinking, but also very artistic in its fictions.

During this week we also had practice talks with graduates and that made me also think that I could look at designers to find inspiration and perceive a Lens. From the talks, Lewis Just had the most attractive experiences after graduation, and I particulary liked the fiction design at Next Nature.

I have looked at the descriptions of some designers I liked the work and started to write down their bios.

Some of these bios would describe a wide Lens but similar to my interests.

Harpreet Sareen - Sareen is interested in the cybernetics of organisms and materials. His work is situated at the intersection of Material Science, Biology and Electronics and draws on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. Harpreet terms this as ‘Convergent Design’ to create hybrid substrates and bionic materials that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems and interaction design.

I felt I was closer to an identity but this was very out of my league: I had to dumb it down to my level.

I had known about “The Toaster Project” for a while, and I looked at the authors bio.

Thomas Thwairts “I’m a designer (of a more speculative sort), interested in technology, science, futures research & etc.”

At this stage I was very happy to have produced one clear result, instead of the multiplicity of the previous exercises, as Thomas projects in his webpage encapsulated what I would like to do as a designer. But I had another option in the back of my mind. This years brand archeology tutour’s practice spoke to me.

Although Thwairts was englobing more what I would like to be as a designer, his projects were attracting me by the curious and whimsical approach. Almeida on the other way, had a more clear value in his work, as it would influence directly local identites, communities and economies. His work ressonated as serious, needed, and I would go far to say honourable. It is also a practice of a great instrumentalist value. Maybe it also ressonated with me because I could see an area of intervention connected with my cultural heritage.

Merging this two designers would produce a super-hero designer to me: One side being quite self-directed and guided by curiosity and naiveness, other by an utilitarian and tangible use for others.

Pedro Almedia cultural inheritance of locally specific heritage brands is often overlooked and tends to dissolve amongst global influence.

THEME - FAMILY or FOOD? I was given a choice in these two themes. Since I had worked with the theme of neighbourhood if felt close to the theme of family, and I had never worked with the Food theme. To get an understanding I looked at food design. I came across the work of Francesca Zampollo, which communicated clearly the fields of food design.

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Looking at the definitions of each area, I have pinpointed the area that I thought, fitted with my lens. Critical design, could englobe specific or all other areas within it.

DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCT Design: b.dES Year 3

Student Project Title

João Nuno Beleza Oliveira Vidal Lourenço

Culinary heritage in future societies

Context What is the context of the project, who does it a ect directly, who is the target ‘audience’ and / or stakeholder(s)?

Limited resources, global warming. This is a matter that affects every part of society. Paleo diets, veganism, atkins, raw food..

Adaptability is a human trademark. How does our food and food habits change in this panorama in comparison with previous generations? What happens to our heritage recipe passed down by the grandparents when it is not ethically right anymore to use certain ingredients\preparation methods? Will we turn to laboratory produce and\or do we immitate lost comfortable flavours with chemicals (smoked flavour)? Will we all be eating the same things in the same places (globalised food & values)? Are we facing an extinction of eating habits like historical dishes or ways of consumption (around a live fire) due to globalisation of living spaces, alternative foods and lifestyles?

Objective(s) What do you hope to achieve? What issue(s) would your project look to address?

-Look at your past generations. how are you living differently today? speculate on how the next generation will change too. What is going to be lost? What it should be kept and why?

-With this fast changes of the cultural, economical, technological and ecological landscapes, and its consequential influences in our eating habits, this project will ask to look on how can this influences cultural identity in the field of culinary.

-The project will ask to look at other fields and bring in tools-systems that could be applied to either tackle identified problems or generate provocative concepts to trigger discussions around how food heritage has a place in the future society.

Value How might your project add value in this area of study

The value lies in the possible outcomes triggering discussions on the evolution of lifestyle and its relationship with food, or to potentially generate innovative approaches around preservation or creation of gastronomic cultural identities in speculated future scenarios.

Resources Required What might you need to ensure the e ective delivery of this project?

I would need to have access to untapped edible resources; experimentation space; field experts; user test group; Interview people about their eating habits; Research old eating habits/ meals; ...

Potential Delivery Partners Who might you speak to and / or ‘collaborate’ with in gathering information, opportunity spotting and developing your project?

Experts in the field of new foods: enthomics, lab meat, etc; City council; Natural Park; Community Gardens; ...

DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCT Design: b.dES Year 3

Ethical Considerations Have you considered the ethical implications of your proposal and how you might address them within the scope of your project?

I will have to ask peoples’ consent for interviews and photographs or recordings.

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What are the intended deliverables of this project? List

research; data; service; user experience; product; package (?)

ist any documents / projects

/ books you have identi ed that will inform your

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations taxonomy of edible species What new foods/solutions are coming out

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DEFINITIONS As a point of start, I wanted to ground definitions and meanings.

What are the exact definitions of the words involved: heritage, culture, rituals, etc?

Culture

Tradition

Rituals

Heritage

The most difficult to define, it is generally agreed that it means “how things are done here�; prone to change

Ideas and beliefs passed down. They can be unique to families and created by individuals

Intentional set of activities to be followed

Passed down from past and to last in the future. Not prone to big changes. Provides identity to the evolution of one culture, bearing evidence to its roots in the scope of mankind.

In my mind I could start to see where these concepts were being placed within the bigger picture of Culture. Food, being a daily action (ritual) has been carrying traditions from the past (i.e. ways of cooking, gathering or eating). It is also subject to change, and what we have done for years can easily being stopped tomorrow, or being carried on to the next generation (heritage).

I was then curious on isolating these actors of change - Why did food get affected throughout history and how? I have studied several examples and tried to answer it: breaking of taboo

creation of taboo

perceptions / trends Sicilian cheese casumarzu - a tradition that fell in disapproval - it is now illegal and only avaible to get through black market.

economical challenge

people / events Sushi: An imported trend that went from being frowned upon to being a delicacy. In this transition, chefs placed the Nori algae inside out to make it more appealing to westerners eyes.

Popcorn in the cinema - a habit created to save cinema businesses from going shut, during the great depression in USA

new lifestyles

technological evolution Cars have changed the way we eat. From come with cupholders to drive-thru restaurants, to the food itself (fast and no cutlery required), technology has an influence.

Designer: A figure given cultural authority to shape culture and the environment I have also remembered this quote from a reading, it had stuck with me as it was a definition that was placing the designer in the highest role I had come across.

HISTORY - HERITAGE

Following my brief, I have looked at Scottish food cultures. In the line of my research I have found that, apart from foraging, growing your own food has been a tradition long before the great wars, where mainly men would gather to work on their own plots.

I have come across Patrick Geddes, who is best remembered for his pioneering work in planning cities. He was influential in the Victorian times with his ideas of urbanism design centred around nature and community. “(...) the aim is to adjust the whole city to the environment, cooperation among citizens becomes not only a viable option but a necessity. “ He had progressive ideas such as gardening as part of education, benefits, and that evolution happens faster through anthropology , mindset of people , cities and economy rather than genetics. This connected with acts of cultural change and community gardening.

FUTURE INDICATORS Now looking at the future, I have used the process we have used in BrandX to speculate about it: I went back to the STEEP cards and have selected some that could influence my topic.

Other insights in the news seemed to loom not very far: the automation of industry, the shortage of fruit pickers after Brexit; the rise of lab meat, etc. Crises were fruitful in the media predictions, which meant more opportunities for ideation later.

UNTAPPED RESOURCES The findings led me to look at what resources are there that were not being used. I have come across not only species of plants and animals but also diets that were a bit on the fringe.

Foraging was a big part of Celtic cultures. Today this is only seen as a hobby for experts. The “cleavers” here pictured, or better known as Sticky Willy for its ability to get stuck in clothes, is a weed that easily grows anywhere, so its usually known as a target to be removed from crops. Little people know that this plant is part of the coffee plant family, and it produces beans that can be roasted for a coffee alternative.

There are also invasive species of plants that compete with endemic ones, and they also have nutritional value, for instance, the “few flowered leek” leaves no chance for the wild garlic, and it has very similar qualities in flavour. Alternatives to rocket salad, spinach and asparagus can be easily found in the wild.

A surprising finding. Looking into entomophagy (using insects as food) as a future protein source, I have found a species of bug that is a famous snack in Thailand, but merely a nuisance in Scotland, perhaps silently waiting for the taboo to break.

OPPORTUNITIES I have wrapped desk research with a mapping of all spotted opportunities.

With this I have headed out to find how was the grow-you-one food scene.

food system under represented

heritage production

culture

untapped resources

events

processing distribution

wholesale

waste

retail

diets

vegan, paleo, keto

values

sustainable

needs

revalue heritage

trends BREXIT

consumers

boost economy poor mgmt

Considering the availability in resources, can the designers role be relevant and contribute to the revalorisation of heritage in future markets?

-Pedro Almeida

health

obesity

untapped resources

invasive species

untapped urban areas

Studio Pop

untapped creativity

People designing with food

untapped trends

touristic airbnb experience?

Loch Lomond

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At this point I have excluded “systems� out of my Lens, as it was simply too complex and abstract for me. I was happy to already have spotted some opportunities, but after all the desk work I needed to go out and get face-to-face interviews to get in touch with what was happening around Glasgow.

STAKEHOLDER RESEARCH Luckily there was an event from the Glasgow Food Strategy focused on the West side community happening in the following days. A full room of people that grew or wanted to grow their own food was present and was very chatty and engaged. Here, I made two key connections that would be my contacts in the next weeks, Judy and Aurora.

The workshops consisted in promoting the initiative, but some members were mentioning that there was much left to be done to improve the legislations, and that the members of the council were also interested in keeping some of the terrains for construction, so the provided spots for allotments were not of good quality or access.

My greatest finding was learning about the Community Act 9, which entitles every citizen to space to grown their own food - the council would have to put the person on a waiting list, and within 5 years provide said space.

I have got to know other important related themes, such as “the good food nation bill� that is a governmental aim to make Scotland a healthier and more food aware country.

Judy Wilkinson, 72, Scotland

Aurora, 31, Spain

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ALLOTMENT VISITS The West End allotment had one day a year that was open to the public, around September. Being months away from it, I have asked Judy if I could visit them anyway.

Well you could come if you give us a hand fixing the fence!

Upon arrival I was then introduced to a group of very proud gardeners, with an age range of an average 55. They were super welcoming and we shared a cup of tea talking about the garden. They were very proud on their pieces of land, and I could see there was a sense of competition in who had the better looking one. Not heavily focused on producing food, friends would share and exchange the produce in forms of jams in between them. The most money they make during open day is through selling flowers. “Last year someone lost a family member. They were depressed and neglected the garden. So they got kicked out. A couple of months after that person suicided.�

Fence fixing, early Sunday morning

Judy then said she would show me a different style allotment not far away from this one. After accessing this one, the energy was very different. Instead of trimmed corners, this was bursting with life. It was the reflex of a much more international community (Asian and African mainly) that with their activity had imprinted an identity in the place: there were ponds with frogs, beehives, gourds and trees of foreign kinds, “It helps people settle in, after they moved away from their homes” she said.

“Sometimes they can even sell the produce to local shops, and make an extra”.

maryhill community garden With Aurora, I was introduced to the project she has been dedicating her spare time to, the Maryhill community garden. It started as a project from Studio Pop, called Dot to Dot, which aimed to fill in vacant urban spaces and bring a new life to them, by engaging the local community. Some years have passed and the original founders have moved away, leaving volunteers to take ownership of its future.

The reason I got interested in this space was due to this being a space that was open to everyone who wanted to plant food right away, or even just collect the produce, instead of waiting lists of the allotments. They were also very open to exterior participation in any shape or way, and with that it sounded like a good terrain for me to, in the future, potentially use it for my project.

we provide a shortcut - whatever people want to do, plant repair, do a workshop... we involve people directly, off the street!

Aurora told me that they were able to make enough produce to give out to passersby, but people seemed not to want them “Some would say that they didn’t eat carrots, but they would accept if it was a McDonalds bag”.

They ended up eating it themselves. It seemed that they were not connecting with the local community in regards to food.

I have contacted Judy and asked her opinion about this - “Potatoes! People will accept potatoes. But they have to be ready to eat!”.

MEETING WITH THE GARDENERS On the first Monday of every month, the active members of the garden meet at the local pub. I have asked if I could join one of those sessions and so I have met other members. They all had day jobs, from highway designer, to business professions. Then the meeting started, and it was focused on planning the following month. With the place inactive during Winter, lots had to be done in terms of repairs, but the focus seemed to be on adding new and exciting ideas to a list of to-do: pizza ovens, beehives, robot puppet theatre...

The logic seemed to be what was possible to do with the connections available, and the more propositions the better. Admitting on having a shortage of volunteers, one of the founders got up and started distributing cards, talking to people about the project and inviting them to join up the following weekend.

The calendar for April filled up quickly.

At the end I made a shy intervention “The beehive. Maybe its better if its not next to the pizza oven. Bees tend not to like co2!�.

When I went to the garden the following weekend, it was a scene very different from what I was expecting. From all the projects that had happened last Summer, the place looked forsaken. I wanted to know to what extent they involved the community and asked, and I have noticed some defensiveness. - “We have asked peoples' opinions but their ideas are not that good... Some guy wanted strawberries and a dance floor.”

“To be honest, we are the community. We leave in the surroundings, and we are the ones who care, nobody else does.” This was surprising to me, were these people part of a project to exchange skills with the community but ultimately designing for themselves? Had that happened because they had failed the premiss?

I had seen on their website that the start of the project was fuelled by a partnership with the local school. “Yes, but the school director was replaced and the new one said he thought the place was not safe for the kids. Its too close to the road”. The link to the school had been broken and nothing done to fix it.

At the end of the day, it is the citizens who should decide the shaping of their city... so we are being the active citizens.

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DESIGNING WITH THE DESIGNERS

I have found myself proposing ideas, just like everyone else, to then go and join them the following weekend and work on making them real. I have realised I have started to be one more chef in the kitchen - not having any kind of guidelines or a set mission to inform my decisions, just what I immediately thought it would be better for the space.

So what could be my value? What can I bring to this scenario that others do not? I have wondered if I could provide them with the user-centred tools I have learnt at the school in the design process: Persona Sheets, User Journeys, Group participation...

With that, I have decided to create a guide to test it in the next meeting.

food system under represented

heritage production

untapped resources

processing distribution

wholesale

waste

retail

poor mgmt

Considering the availability in resources, can the designers role be relevant and contribute to the revalorisation of heritage in future markets?

-Pedro Almeida

culture

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This was the lowest point in the project as I was struggling to see the need for my intervention. I have found myself within a groupobesity of people using this project for health themselves, while me, an outsider, trying to help them to design for the community, without being asked to do that in the first place. I have started doubting my intervention and began to deviate once more. consumers

untapped resources

invasive species

untapped urban areas

Studio Pop

untapped creativity

diets

vegan, paleo, keto

values

sustainable

needs

revalue heritage

trends

People designing with food

untapped trends

touristic airbnb experience?

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Loch Lomond

boost economy

design specification This A4 booklet with 12 pages attempts to create a reassess the site’s focus.

Each page is to be followed with discussion, and if applicable, group exercises, to enable discussion and reflecting on decision making.

why, where, who & what

Based on the IDEO Field Guide and DIY design tools, the guide proposes and facilitates exercises to gain a deeper understanding about the character of the place and its people, instructions to gather these findings and use them to inform their mission, aligning the community garden to their proposed value to the area.

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WORK IN PROGRESS...

LensOn Reflection Learning outcomes:

My final outcome felt out of line from my initial narrative. I think meanwhile I got confused with my directions, and with the pressure of the final week I produced what I deemed logical for the point of where I was at the moment.

This project was a good addiction to last years London visit, and a good prequel for 4th year self initiated. Since defining myself as always a difficult question, I have taken this six week self-initiated project with an open mind, and although I have not arrived to a solid answer of “what practice of design will I fit in�, I have certainly laid down the foundations for it, at least by exclusion, with my explorations. My assigned tutor was very patient with my deviations away from the path and helped me get back on track in every tutorial.

It made me look back at my projects and reflect deeply on what can I bring to the table.

What I would change:

I would not focus on the Maryhill Garden as there were already too many people trying to improve this space and as an outsider visitor I had no authority to propose what I felt needed. I think I would make a personal project towards designing with food, either packaging or critical to trigger discussions on future sustainability.

To improve:

Further analysing my Lens; adding my ideation and concepts to this PPJ.

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INSPIRING PRACTICES 2 This is further thinking done at the end of the school year. With a fresh pair of eyes I have looked back at this project and was able to connect some other inspiring practices that I would like to have seen as an outcome. This led me to reflect further on my possible Lens for 4th year.

LATERAL NORTH, ALTAS OF PRODUCTIVITY This research set out to look afresh at the potential of a nation. Comprising of 35 maps, visuals and statistics, the Atlas declares Scotland should look at itself as a gateway between Nordic and Arctic, rather than a periphery of Central Europe. This proposed look, a simple shift of perspective and context, projects a future of possibilities.

lateralnorth.com/

F. LAPOSSE, TOTOMOXTLE Totomoxtle focuses on regenerating traditional agricultural practices in Mexico, and creating a new craft that generates income for impoverished farmers while conserving biodiversity for future food security. I have found this project to connect some points of the values I have mentioned in my lens. With the materials exploration project at the end of this year, I have gained confidence to possibly look into what my topic had to offer in this practice.

fernandolaposse.com/projects/totomoxtle/