8/14/2019 REAL UTOPIAS, the sustainable society - brief

1/2

SUSTAINABLEFUTURES(Split,Interakcije2012)

Context:Inthelast1020yearsresearchersandpolicymakersincreasinglydevelopandusevisionsof

sustainablefutures.

These

future

scenarios

have

had

modest

impact

so

far

on

everyday

live

andpractices.Onereasonforthiscouldbethattheyaredoneonahighermoreabstract,

topdownlevelnotincludingmultipledimensionssuchasproduction,consumption,

economics,lifestyles,andvaluesandtheirimplicationsformaterialculture.

Asdesigners,wecanmakeuseofexistingproductmythologiesthroughthesemanticsof

objects;transferringandquestioningconnotationsofmeaninganduse,toexplorehownew

typesofmoreenvironmentalpracticescouldlooklike.Whenattemptingtocreateanew

artefactorpractice,wecandeliberatelycutandpaste,mergeandusethepreexisting

commonknowledgetiedtothedominatingperceptionsanchoredinthematerialityof

societyaswellasininternalmodelsoftheuser.

Brief:Theobjectivehereisto,bydesigningfictionalartefacts(designexperiments,prototypes,domesticationprobesetc.),questionpresentnormsandpracticesandexploreandtryoutnewalternativewaysofthinkingaboutsustainablefuturesindialogwithourpresentmaterialculture.

Choosetoworkwithasituationalcontextthatyouhavefoundrelevant.Itcouldbea

publicplace,anoffice,ahousehold,transportationoranythingelse.

(Re)designanalternativesystemforalteringexistingperceptionsorintroducenew

ones

around

the

topic

of

the

sustainable

society.

Examplesoftopicsofinvestigation:- Howwillthematerialstructurescorrespondingtothismodernutopialooklike?

- Whatsocialpractices,contextsandvaluesmighthavegottenlostinthepast

thatcouldberesurrectedandreusedinnewways?

- Doweneedtoresurfacesomeunderlyingtechnologicalmechanismsto

increaseaneverydayunderstandingofresourceconsumption?

- Whatkindidealscanwereinforcetomotivateahighertypeofengagementthat

wouldmostlikelyberequiredforamoresustainablelifestyle?

Preading/preparation/inspiration:Asapreparationfortheworkshop,readthetextslowdesignbyAlastairFuadeLukeabout

designanditsimplicationsforsustainability.Readthetextandthinkabouthowitmight

relatetoyourownpracticeandexperienceaswellasyourdailylife.Collectmaterialrelated

tothisthatwouldinformandprovokeinitialgroupdiscussionsandbrainstormingsessions.

Suchmaterialshouldbewiderangingandmayincludeanythingfromexamplesofworkfrom

designers/artists/architects,literaryandfilmreferences,sciencefiction,newspaperreports

andmuchmore.Itcanalsobefromtopicsnotdirectlyrelatedtosustainabilitybutthatyou

thinkcouldhavevaluefromadesignandsustainabilityperspective.Everyparticipantwill

presenthis/hersresearchfindingstotheothergroupmembers.Itwillprovideagood

opportunityto

begin

to

assess

what

approach

you

may

like

to

take

towards

the

brief

and

alsotointroduceyourselfandyourspecificexpertise.

8/14/2019 REAL UTOPIAS, the sustainable society - brief

2/2

Background:Theworldismovingtowardsclimatecrisisfuelledbyamassiveoveruseofnatures

resources.Whatisbuiltintothestructuresofsocietythatallowsthistoprogress?

Onereasonpointedoutisthatwe,inmanypartsoftheworld,havenolongeran

understandingforthecostoftheenergyouttakethatourlifestylesentail.Forexample,an

averageAmericanrequiresbetween100to200energyslavestheequivalenttothe

humanworkforceofthismanypersonstosustaintheircurrentwayofliving(e.g.Boyden,

1987).Thissystemisbuiltintotheverymaterialstructuresofourcivilisations.Postmodern

societyandnewtechnologicaldevicesdetachusfromprocessesthatwepreviouslyengaged

inornurtured.Wehavebecomecontrollersofappliancesandprocessesinsteadofbeing

anembodiedpartoftheunderlyingprocesses(Borgmann1987,c.f.Dreyfus1990).For

example,ouruseofenergyforheatinghastransformedfromtheoncemanualtasksof

choppingwoodtosimplyflippingaswitch.Onalargerlevel,energyproductionsitesare

oftensituatedfarfromtheactualpointsconsumptionintodayscitiesandwedorarelysee

thenegativeenvironmentalimpactsofouractions.Wehaveescapedmanyharshrealities

thattheworldonceimposedonus.Notuntiltechnologyceasestofunction,likeinapower

out,dowerealisehowdependentwehavebecome.Thistechnologyhasbecomeinvisible

anironicallyitonlybecomespresentinourminds,whenitisnotpresent.

Technologycreatesconvenienceandfreesuptimeforotherformsofactivitiesthatwethink

ismoresatisfying.Thedesignofthingsfacilitatesmassproductionandrapidturnaroundof

newstylesensuringshorterproductlifecyclesandencouragingconsumptionforself

fulfilmentratherthanrealneeds.Speedandefficiencyhasbecomethesymbolofmodernity

andtechnologyandourpursuitofmodernityhassoughttoannihilatefundamentalelements

astimeanddistance.Ofcourse,thiscomesatapricesincethereductionofthese

fundamentalfactorsdemandsaneverincreasingamountofenergyandresources.Itis

becomingincreasinglyobviousthattechnologyalonewillnotsaveusfromtheclimatecrises

wehaveinflictedonourselves.Wealsoneedtocriticallyreflectonourvalues,normsand

behaviouralpatterns

and

how

these

are

built

in

to

our

artificial

world

that

is

surrounding

us.

References:Borgmann,A.Technologyandthecharacterofcontemporarylife:aphilosophicalinquiry.UniversityOfChicagoPress,Chicago,1987

Boyden,Stephen.(1987).WesternCivilizationinBiologicalPerspective:Patternsin

Biohistory,OxfordUniversityPress.

Dreyfus,H.L.BeingintheWorld:ACommentaryonHeideggersBeingandTime,DivisionI.

TheMIT

Press,

1990.