WorkShop 2

Metadesign and the sensory experience of sustainability
How can design manifest a desirable experience of sustainability?

Photo by Solve Sundsbo.

Presenters:
Anette Lundebye (BA Fine Arts, MA Textile Design, MA Design Futures), researcher
Goldsmiths, University of London
Mathilda Tham (BA Fashion, MA Design Futures, PhD Design) lecturer in eco-design,
Goldsmiths, University of London, Professor of Fashion Design, Beckmans College of
Design, Stockholm

Anette Lundebye and Mathilda Tham are researchers on the Design Synergy for the 21st Century research project, hosted by Goldsmiths, University of London and funded by AHRC. As Lundebye & Tham, we facilitate visionary processes for brands that have realised the importance of the sustainability imperative

weblinks:
www.lundebyetham.com
www.attainable-utopias.org/m21
www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/design/
www.beckmans.se

This three-hour workshop explores how design might diversify the language of sustainability, and make it appealing to a wide range of audiences. With the aid of new methodologies that the researchers have developed through recent empirical research, the participants will design futures scenarios for more sensory experiences of sustainability.

The context of this workshop is the gap that the researchers have observed between the urgency of a wide engagement with the sustainability imperative, and the current language of sustainability communications which is predominantly scientific, quantitative and ‘don’t’ rather than ‘do’ focused. It asks us to be more energy efficient – using the term climate change to rally our efforts, but what is the experience of carbon neutrality? How does zero waste to landfill feel? What is the sensation of biodegradability? We argue that these are abstract notions, terms where the negative or the reduction is in focus and constitute a language that creates a sense of dissociation rather than agency. The current approach does little to stir the imagination and evoke visions of an increased quality of life and well-being for individuals and larger communities on Earth. We argue that communication of sustainability must acknowledge the reality of experiential culture and transcend the fixation with quantitative language.

“imagination is central to human meaning and rationality for the simple reason that what we can experience and cognize is meaningful, and how we can reason about it, are both dependent upon structures of imagination that make our experience what it is.” (Johnson, 1987)

The methodological approaches taken in this visionary workshop were developed during three major research projects. The ‘senseness’ concept (Lundebye, 2004, MA thesis) offers contextual, relational and directional perspectives on the emotive potential of sustainability and was developed for the automotive industry. The Lucky People Forecast approach (Tham,
2008, doctoral thesis) to scenario work bridges the gap between personal and professional value systems and offers a framework that focuses on the opportunities rather than constraints of a sustainable agenda. It was piloted in the fashion industry’s mass-market segment. Both approaches have been further developed through the ‘Benchmarking
Synergies for Meta-Design Project’ (part of the Designing for the 21st Century initiative funded by AHRC and EPSRC and hosted by Goldsmiths, University of London).
After a brief introduction to the methodological frameworks, the workshop participants will generate a series of futures scenarios, focusing on enhancing the sensory interaction with the sustainability agenda. The workshop will culminate in a real time exhibition and a wider discussion, highlighting possible further target areas for research and practical implementation.

Goals:
1. An enriched, and experiential vocabulary of sustainability;
2. The sensory manifestation of key sustainability terminology, such as carbon neutrality;
3. The dissemination of new tools and approaches that the participants may apply in their own practices.
4. The researchers welcome an interdisciplinary group of designers, as well as marketing and PR professionals, an ideal number would be between 20 and 50 participants.