The barometer

sensemaking & futuring for uncertain times

Please add your alternative title here:

Justyna Doherty

You are about to embark on a journey. A journey in time. The fuel: your human experience and imagination. This time, the journey is your destination. Just pick the time frame, the mediums, the place.

Inside you will find blank pages for you to use spontaneously, but also tasks designed to help you deliberately observe, sense, reflect, and move in, and through time.

You will also find questions designed to unclock the secrets of yourself. Answer them with courage and creativity. There are no wrong answers. So, where to start? Well... how about just start “doodling.”

your photo here (or photo of your hero)

this item belongs to:

(your nickname here)

if found, please fill one page and text this number:

How to understand the past and create connections towards the future?

past present

How to make sense of the present?

How to embrace uncertainty?

How to think about the future - futures?

1. welcome

2. itinerary

3. play time

4. time

5. place

6. legacy

7. connecting to non-human

itinerary choose the pages randomly

8. what’s next?

9. reflection capsule

this notebook is an invitation to play, discover, think and move in time

directions

1. use your intuition

2. trust your imagination

3. the sky is the limit

REMEMBER! this book will not fully exist without you - you are the one who decides on the content.

materials

tape ideas

hands

memories

imagination sticks leave glue

paper thoughts rubbish

newspaper

old photos

scissors

old books paint

pencil

tape

needle

thread

more tape

anything you find

so first...

forget what you know allow yourself to play

doodle something here

look out for random connections not perfection

create from scratch

collect random shapes, colours from a magazine tear, cut, copy & paste

use your intuition to decide the layout work one step at the time

your notes here

look out for interesting small items everywhere anything you can find newspaper cutouts, grass, stones collect them and bring them to the page

look for patterns, connection draw or glue in here

cut out random verses from newspapers glue and paste them here

what do you have in your pocket?

display it on the page

outline it

glue the piece of it here make art

go for a walk

rub the journal off the ground

make marks

write what you want here

scibble (wildly?)

just to feel the page

past

my dream.

november 2021

my dream.

november 2021

doodle your dream sleep with the journal

my dream. november 2021

time - what is?

highlight your favourite quote

Time says “Let there be” every moment and instantly there is space and the radiance of each bright galaxy.

And eyes beholding radiance. And the gnats’ flickering dance. And the seas’ expanse. And death, and chance.

Time makes room for going and coming home and in time’s womb begins all ending.

Time is being and being time, it is all one thing, the shining, the seeing, the dark abounding.

HYMN TO TIME

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Stop waiting for the perfect time. The perfect time is now. (unknown)

Time is a storm in which we are all lost (W.C. Williams)

Time is relative, it’s only worth depends on what we do as it is passing.

(A. Einstein)

One must work with time and not against it (U.L.Guin)

Times is a storm in which we are all lost (W.C. Williams)

Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. (Wikipedia)

Now he has departed from this strage worlds a little ahead of me. That signifies nothing. For us believing physicist the destincion between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.

(A. Einstein)

showing us what really matters.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

(C.S.

Lewis)

time - what is

The way we spend our time define who we are (J. Estrin)

The most precious resource we all have is time. (S. Jobs)

Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. (H. McKay)

Your skin like dawn

Mine like musk

One paints the beginning of a certain end.

The other, the end of a sure beginning.

(Maya Angelou)

On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time.

But it is never lost, my lord. Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.

Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.

I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed

and imagined all work had ceased. In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.

LOST TIME by Rabindranath Tagore

Time is the substance I am made of.

Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.

Jorge Luis Borges, 1946, meditation on time

time - what is

What does time mean to you?

(doodle, write, draw, copy & paste)

notice how time flies for you today, mark below, make it pretty

mark how you felt all day... use colours to make it pretty (or not)

happy enough

not that great

time as a cultural construct

In North America and Northern Europe time is expressed as being linear.

In Middle Eastern, Latin American, African cultures - time has multiple threads, events are often simultaneous.

Thinking

about

the cyclical concept of time,

reimagine and revise the timeline from the previous page...

stick cut out read

draw push look

more cut out observe forget roll down...

sense

write a poem about time

time - what is

tear the page and hand it to someone (or place it in their pocket)

your notes here

time - what is

Rzeszow, Poland. 2021

place dots where your mind travelled to today

Collect tags from the objects you used today. Food, clothing, labels, books, daily objects. Notice the origin. copy and paste the labels here

Think of a place you went to on your last on holiday. Imagine you are on holiday in this place 60 years from now. Create a postcard for your friends from this trip.

image to go here

your notes here

Design a stamp collection from the year 2318 featuring famous places.

your place

(a place you have a fond memory of) step one

Create a quick sketch, place or stick in small items that remind you of it

your place

step two

record changes over the time from your memory today

year

year

2027

2227

your

place step two

year 2227

How will the world / this place look like?

What problems increase?

What problems decrease / get solved?

What will change the most?

your notes here

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work, if it isn’t open.

Thinking about the previous page:

Why do you think the future will look like that?

What do you assume to be true about the future?

When confronted with uncertainty and the unknowable our minds tend to retreat to explanations based on what is already known. Cognitive biases kick in and usually these biases create assumption walls in our thinking.

Challenging assumptions is uncomfortable it asks us to question deeply held and unquestioned ways of making sense of the world.

legacy

Each moment of our present is an expression of our legacy

Touch your face with your left hand and draw a self portrait with your right hand draw without stopping (using colour or not)

now draw your best feature with your eyes closed

write down your dream(s) for the future.

Think long term.

Your vision board use cutting/pasting from magazines to choose images that you like, copy and paste them here, place poems you love, quotes you love, imagine people you love and will love.

Your vision board

Keep adding to it. Your sacred space. Include everything you love. Write. Draw. Use cutouts, textures, smells.

...and if you come across something you don’t want, leave it here

what type of world do you want to live in? describe the world

... years from now

befriend uncertainty

Articulate uncertainties. identify a topic or an area of life that feels particularly uncertain. ask, “What if?”

name the uncertainties to sit with them, even if they cant be solved ....

feel the uncertainty acknowledge that a wide range of possibilities may come to pass.

name emotional response that accompanies the process of facing uncertainty: fear, worry, hope, empowerment, confusion or any other feeling.

cultivate curiosity

both about the uncertainties themselves and about the questions and feelings they provoke.

look for opportunity amid uncertainty

ask:

“What do I have the power to influence in this moment of change??

Living with uncertainty in this way is a

challenge...

But when we can apply our foresight lens to our own life, we move away from the fear of the unknown and toward empathy: for ourselves, as we navigate a world with less-than-full information about what is to come, and for others who are doing the same, too often without the social capital or financial resources they need to weather disruptions.

And when my sense of empathy outweighs my sense of fear, I become more of who I hope to be for myself, my family, and others in the world.

best scenario

worst scenario anything possible

pick one of the items you use daily or one of the objects you collected observe it or imagine it decomposing record

mark the items you disposed of today

calculate how long it takes for all of them to last / decompose

total:

did you know...

since mass thermonuclear weapons testing began in the middle of the 20th century,

The half-life of depleted uranium (U-238) is around 4.5 billion years, roughly the same as the age of the Earth, while that of the plutonium in Chernobyl’s nuclear reactor is 240,000 years

240,000 years

4.5 billion years

Imagine that you are 100 years old, telling your great-grandchildren about the seemingly impossible challenges that you took on in your life and overcame.

What would some of those challenges be? How did you overcome them?

your notes here

my people

page for special people in my life

(use symbols / initials for each of them)

finish the page

create a mood board from your past think of people important to you

use photos buy an old book in a second hand shop and cut verses or images from it use your drawings led by intuition, randomly place verses and images here think of memories

my most precious possession is... trace or describe

does it remind you of someone?

look notice things you would like to show to someone special record here

fill in the dates

born year

great-great-grandchild, cousin, friend, or...?

born year

great-grandchild

born year

grandchild, friend, fellow nonhuman creature

born year

children (mine or siblings / friends)

today

me

born year

parents

born year

grandparent

born year

great-grandparent

you are connected to all of us by love

my people

How do we make a personal, empathic connection with future generations whom we can never meet and whose lives we can barely imagine?

my people

Choose one of the people from the future you are connected to.

Describe them.

What are they like?

What hobbies do they have?

What allergies do they have?

What’s their favourite pet?

Even though you live far in my future, I know you are a real human, not just an abstract concept in my imagination.

You laugh, dance, think and talk. You work, play, love and care. I feel connected with you and the planet we share.

to you

in the future

create a mood board/collection of things and important objects belonging to a person born in 2150 use photos drawings doodling cut-outs from magazines to create it choose a mindset of reality / world at the time:

1. pessimistic

2. optimistic

3. anything inbetween

Reflect on the previous exercise in three sentences

What made you choose this particular world?

What made you think of these circumstances?

Did you have to stretch your thinking to create a positive image?

Why is it difficult?

my people

we don’t walk around forests and say, “I wonder who planted that for us?” Or, when we ourselves plant a seed, think “I can’t wait for my children’s children to enjoy this.”

Imagine if we took time to notice the investments that past generations made for us in our everyday life, and acknowledge them through the lens of imagination, courage, and empathetic care.

let’s do that a day of “who planted that for us?”

Think about celebrating birthday / christmas / new year with your friend living in a time after you

step one:

1. choose year

2028

2068

2150

step two:

2. decide on one of the following things are going:

pretty much same direction as now worst scenario best scenario

step three:

3. write draw copy & paste images from old books a magazine to describe how the celebration will look like

what food will be on the table? who will attend?

my people

party time!

make, buy, imagine

birthday gift for a person living in the year 2200

children, grandchildren, cousin, friend grandparents

what was the nicest gift you received?

place a photograph or drawing of the gift you decided on made or imagined.

We also appreciate your efforts to see us as real people who do the same sorts of things that people always done - talk, smile, laugh, gesture, frown, cry, love, work, build, walk sing, kiss, learn, each, reflect, explore, play.

We, the people whon you call “future generations”, appreciate your willingness to listen to our neglected voices. Our views are usually not heard at all in your era because we have not yet been born, we can not speak or lobby, we cannot carry placards in front of our parliament buildings, and we can not vote in your elections. we feel deep bond with you, and feel much love and admiration toward you. Thank you for listening. to you and me

The pledge for future generations

by Allen Tough, 1993

Although humanity is far from perfect, it is definitely worthy of my respect, affection, compassion and nurturance. I am fully aware of the pain, suffering and ignorance in the world, but I do now condemn human civilization nor write it off as hopeless. I understand that a satisfactory future is possible if enough people care about future generations, understand today’s options, and make appropriate choices.

For me, it is very important that humanity and other life on our planet continue to evolve in positive directions. Nothing is more important than the continued flourishing of human culture and society over the next few decades and beyond. Because I care deeply about humanity and its future, I do my best to live up to the following principles:

1. I care about well being of future generations. Their needs are just as important as those of today. When I am making a majorchoice in my own life, when I am making a significant ethical or moral question, and when I am involved in policymaking or decision-making, I take into account the needs of the next two or three generations.

2. I choose paid work or volunteer work that makes a positive contribution to humanity’s flourishing. I do my work with conscience and with respect for the well-being of future generations and our planet.

3. Because the institution of war has caused so much harm over the years, I speak up against all wars, terrorism, organised violence, and arms manufacturing. Better ways exist for handling conflict, greed, anger, and the urge for revenge.

4. I play my part in halting the deterioration of the environment, and I support efforts to achieve a sustainable relationship with our planet. I understand that people who own

and consume more than they really need do even more harm to the environment than the desperate efforts of the poorest of the world’s population to survive.

5. Through words and actions, I support some of the additional goals and directions that will help our civilisation to survive and flourish over the next few decades. These positive goals and directions include the following:

• the health and well-being of children

• understanding and cooperation among diverse cultures

• a deeper understanding of the universe related to the world’s problems and our future

• widespread learning and change

• widespread human rights, civil liberties and political participation

• a designed spokesperson for future generations in all political and military decision making

• experiments with innovative policy-making and governance

Create your own pledge to future generations here

write

or draw what would you like to say to a person you love but never met

passing by

my non-human friends

How did we lose our sense of living here on Earth?

How did we become so alienated and estranged from everything else alive?

How did we get convinced that we’re the only interesting game in town, and the only species worthy of extending a sense of the sacred to?

I can’t speak for myself, you are my voice

year 2300

describe spider’s view today

One minute challenge

Step one: for one minute, doodle all the animals / insects / living creatures you can think of

Step two: connect attributes of three animals to create an animal monster

go for a walk

notice all the living creatures you meet emphatise create a map of your steps

how do the neigbours pets feel?

how does the ladybird feel? how does the jellyfish feel?

Like an animal - game

1. Roar like a lion

2. Hop like a frog

3. Say goodbye like a...

reflection capsule

stretch your imagination to consider new possibilities for your life, to determine what is most important for your future and to make better life decisions.

Building an understanding of the changes that are shaping the behaviours and needs of the people that we design for and with

why future?

teach you think about the future in different way, and open your mind

For people recovering from trauma, a 2018 study suggests that writing optimistically about the future—an intervention called prospective writingmight encourage post-traumatic growth (that is, positive psychological growth following a traumatic life event).

why stories?

If we want to change our destiny as individuals and a society - we have to change the stories we use to make sense of the world in a way that empowers us to create the future that we are most compelled to create.

The concept of future generations and their needs may be the centrepiece of a new global ethic, a new global religion, a new global perspective for providing meaning and purpose in life, or a new approach for human civilisation to achieve it’s highest potential. as a minimum, it may persuade human society to alter course and thus achieve a positive future....

own.

why journaling?

According to PsychCentral, keeping a journal can help you:

Clarify your thoughts and feelings

Get to know yourself better

Reduce stress

Resolve disagreements with others

Solve problems more effectively

For the World, and Your Life.

Stories tell our brains what to pay to pay attention to, what meaning to give our experiences and what actions we can and should take in response. They operate like programs that direct human attention in making meaning of the past, understanding the present and projecting into the future.

can help you learn to process and communicate complex ideas effectively. It can also help you memorize important information, and brainstorm new ideas. In other words, writing about your experiences not only helps you process them, it helps you see opportunities that may not have been apparent at first glance. It also helps you learn to break down complex experiences into relevant, useful bits of information organized coherently.

you get the best benefits of journaling when you’re telling your personal story, not just writing about your feelings on their

telling yourown personal story can makea huge differencein your well being

probable preferable potential

possible

plausible

reflection capsule

209

finish the drawing....

Foresight - a cognitive activity, one that is grounded in an innate human capacity to imagine new futures.

Foresight is also the capacity that enables us to include ‘the future’ in our present, in the same way that we now include the past in our consideration of the present.

‘Foresight’, ‘futurism’, ‘futurology’, ‘anticipation studies’ and ‘futures thinking’ (sometimes ‘futures’ for short) are terms that are often used interchangeably to describe the practice of thinking about the future in a structured way, and the methods and approaches that are used to do so

Futures thinking can offer us a new way of seeing the world that we design for live for live in dream about wake up make plans love

The most powerful idea in

Futures

Thinking is the commitment, the act of deciding to engage in the “gardening” change, engaging in optimism of the will and asking the question: What are the other possible answers here?

What are the futures that aren’t being discussed and how might I influence them?

What can I do today to move things in the direction that I would like see happen (S. Candy)

reflection capsule

100% recyclable or reusable

Treasure this book as a record of your assumptions, creativity and reflections.

Once you are finished pass it burn it or recycle

Text and illustrations by Justyna Doherty.

All rights reserved.

2023

Special thanks to Clyde Doyle, Programme Chair MA Design for Change, IADT

Thank you Rebecca, Chris, Shirley, Iwona, Fiona, Michael, Julie, Sam, Jane, Karen, Joanne, Kristin, Marite, Siobhán, Kay, Steph, Ciarán, Oskar, Aron and Shane for all your help in the process of thinking and making.

For more information please visit Public Design Lab pdl.iadt.ie

printed in Ireland by Doggett Group