The
Alchemy
of
Care
The Alchemy of Care Sarah Garba Research Design Book Bachelor of Interior Design (Hon) RMIT University I want to acknowledge and extend my appreciation to the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which I reside, study and conduct my research, the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and pay respect to their elder’s past, present and emerging.
Preface
This research book is a compilation of moments, each dwelling in a constant state of reflection and contemplation, to examine where we find care between the lived and built. It explores metaphors of care in the landscape and home to further discuss the potential of design in harmonising people with their environments through a more aware, deliberate process. / Slowness / Place making / Place keeping / Value / Encounters
The Alchemy of Care. Maintenance / Time / Slowness / Form / Function / Value How can we practice care across different scales: As a social value, human need and design tool, (re)introducing it as a third tenant of design. Where
form
follows
care.
“Form ever follows function, and this is the law…where function does not change, form does not change” - Louis Sullivan. Formulated during the industrialisation period, the expression served as a principle for many designers to move beyond traditional systems and into a new and modernised realm of thinking. The lens in which we see this principle today seems rather rudimentary for our fast-paced world and perhaps merits a reconsideration of the term to reflect the needs and individuals of today. Can this be done by exploring care – not only as an intrinsic human need but social value and design tool? ‘The Alchemy of Care’ engages with planting, placemaking and time-based experiments that explore care as a practice and a process. The project traverses the middle ground between care and design, speculating where care occurs and how these often intangible examples can be brought forth and discussed. How can we transcend the discussion beyond building materials and techniques to think about how human interaction is considered in the design process?
Cooking as a means of care.
What is care ?
Phase 1 The germination process
Care as a practice and a process
Where is care ?
When do we care ?
Maintenance / Time / Slowness / Form / Function / Value
For the first exploration in this adapting reuse series, I wanted to create a function of care for my plants, that would ensure the soil would not dry out whilst I am away. To do this I needed to use an additional material - the plastic cup to support this proposal. I explored a system that gives and indication of humidity levels in the air and simultaneously drip waters .
Before creating this water catcher, I was not aware of the term hygroscope, which is infact an instrument with this very goal in mind. Hygroscope [ˈhīɡrəˌskōp]
NOUN an instrument which gives an indication of the humidity of the air.
This device worked particularly well in the cold when the cup is positioned closer to the plant and in hot conditions, it prevented the plant from getting too hot and dry. Similarly in colder weather it functioned as a greenhousetrapping humidity in.
The object also functioned as a drip feeder, that could be initiated naturally when the humidity increased. The cup captures moisture and fed it back to the plant. This could also be achieved through spraying the inside of the cup with water to initiate the process. Also key in this exploration was the potential of movability, with the option created to readjust the closeness of the cup to the plant and a handle to grip when moving, offering a sturdy control of movement.
Maintenance / Time / Slowness / Form / Function / Value
On the theme of plants, I wanted to create an object that maximises light through reflection and in doing so, I explored a light reflecting system to amplify the plants exposure to sunlight and also features a handle to grip and move.
Is
the
process
of
cooking
an
act
of
care
?
What happens when we disrupt the narrative ? Does it evoke a sense of chaos ? or does it provide space for a new narrative ?
Activating site
Intentions for this exploration is one that involves exploring public space as an arena for testing ideas, drawing on socially prescribed narratives of how space is used to challenge this notion. The site for this exploration is the Capital City Trail in Flemington, which follows the runoff of the Moonee Ponds Creek, and is situated under the Citylink Bridge. Looming above is the Flemington Commission housing blocks, and situated close by is Flemington Bridge Railway station. Nestled between such busy infrastructures, I think this is an interesting site which traverses between the lived and built environments in a way that it is currently being used as an urban corridor. Besides the trail is a mixed topology of grass fields, dirt grounds and trees, a pocket oasis , made unappealing to the public, with no activation of these areas encouraged or deemed useful due to the muddy and sometimes flooding terrain. Intentions for this exploration is one that involved exploring public space as an arena for testing ideas and drawing on socially prescribed narratives of how space is used and challenge this notion.