Southern manners in northern lands: Design interventions for autonomía

This paper explores how the concept of autonomous design, as proposed by Arturo Escobar (2012, 2017a, 2017b) and inspired by the global South, can inform socially engaged design practices in the North. The concept of autonomy is approached from a southern perspective, not (only) from a geographical standpoint, but in understanding autonomous design as a relational practice that supports the self-realization of communities. We will inquire what the potentialities and limitations that a southern approach to interventionist practices in design can have in supporting autonomous processes are. In northern literature, autonomy is often seen as counter to interventionist practices in design. However, a southern perspective can give insights into how autonomy and interventions in design practices can inform and complement each other and we will develop this argument through a reflection on ‘building’ Non-Alignment. Furthermore, by presenting a project we have been involved in during the last two years, we will illustrate the process of developing a southern approach of interventions in northern lands, and discuss the influence this has had on a local autonomous process.Keywords: autonomous design, design interventions, southern epistemologies, non-aligned movement, participatory design, participatory action research

Southern manners in northern lands: Design interventions for autonomía

This paper explores how the concept of autonomous design, as proposed by Arturo Escobar (2012, 2017a, 2017b) and inspired by the global South, can inform socially engaged design practices in the North. The concept of autonomy is approached from a southern perspective, not (only) from a geographical standpoint, but in understanding autonomous design as a relational practice that supports the self-realization of communities. We will inquire what the potentialities and limitations that a southern approach to interventionist practices in design can have in supporting autonomous processes are. In northern literature, autonomy is often seen as counter to interventionist practices in design. However, a southern perspective can give insights into how autonomy and interventions in design practices can inform and complement each other and we will develop this argument through a reflection on ‘building’ Non-Alignment. Furthermore, by presenting a project we have been involved in during the last two years, we will illustrate the process of developing a southern approach of interventions in northern lands, and discuss the influence this has had on a local autonomous process.Keywords: autonomous design, design interventions, southern epistemologies, non-aligned movement, participatory design, participatory action research

Reworlding: participatory design capabilities to tackle socio-environmental challenges

Rising societal polarisations around health and climate crises have brought more attention to the close relations between social and environmental challenges. These polarisations triggered an interest in the participatory design (PD) field in developing approaches that enhance connections between diverse actors operating across societal and environmental sectors. However, the capabilities needed for these approaches have not been sufficiently articulated in PD research and education. To fill in this gap, we define 'reworlding' as an operation of self-critique within PD that engages with capabilities needed to reveal and articulate radical interdependencies between humans and more-than-humans, across social and environmental worlds, and within situated contexts. We propose both the redefinition of the design capabilities needed for (re)connecting these worlds (retracing, reconnecting, reimagining and reinstitutioning), as well as a reconsideration of learning environments where these capabilities can be tested and enhanced

Critical Heritage - A participatory approach to exhibiting research

We are a group of 15 PhD students working on a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (ITN) project titled ‘Critical Heritage and the Future of Europe’ (CHEurope). We are proposing a work-in-progress exhibition which will present our current research concerns and findings while critically engaging with different viewpoints on participation and participatory ways of working with heritage. This growing exhibition is being developed through several participatory design (PD) workshops which allow the students to co-create and curate it with the guidance of designers experienced in heritage-related PD.This work was partially supported by H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 Project ‘Critical Heritage Studies and the Future of Europe’. Award No. 7224156.Participatory Design; Heritage; Curatin

WegenWerken. A design journey down the slow roads

‘WegenWerken’ (RoadWorks) is an ongoing collaboration between multiple stakeholders, focused on the role of soft connections in the city of Genk (Belgium) and guided by the approach of participatory design (PD). Through this project, we engaged with different research and design activities on macro- (city- and region-wide and reflective) and micro- (site-specific and intervention-based) level while working together with the citizens of Genk to explore and map the future of the slow road network. This situated action proposal envisions an exhibition of the research material and design tools produced within these activities, as well an interactive installation which will engage the visitors with the material presented.This work was partially supported by H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 Project ‘Critical Heritage Studies and the Future of Europe’ (Award No. 7224156).Participatory Design; Spatial Planning; Mapping; Mobilit

Walking, recording and collaborative mapping: how can we advance PD methodology by engaging with heritage?

The aim of this workshop is to implement and evaluate an approach to transdisciplinary interaction, designed to address spatial planning in an inclusive manner. We propose to engage participants from different fields in an exercise of walking, recording and mapping as one combined participatory design (PD) methodology. Specifically, we reflect on the possibilities of pluralizing approaches to heritage making, by looking at how PD methodologies could be applied in this field. The workshop takes form as a participatory walking and data-collecting exercise with the finality to reflect on how creative processes that feed into fields determined by expert discourses, such as heritage making policies, could be enriched with the tools and methodologies of PD. Discussions about heritage are increasingly crucial to contemporary politics of remembrance and memorialization, which often intersect with wider political discussions on urban inclusion and diversity. Accordingly, and considering the main theme of the PDC 2018 conference, the workshop aims to foster a critical dialogue on how PD methodologies can support the creation of more inclusive urban environments that celebrate diversity and facilitate the development of alternative approaches to the making of heritage. During the workshop, the multidisciplinary approach to challenge and break into dominant institutionalized discourses is tested, discussed and refined. Moreover, we establish how this methodology could be implemented in response to wider concerns of PD and spatial planning.This work was partially supported by H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 Project ‘Critical Heritage Studies and the Future of Europe’ (Award No. 7224156).Interdisciplinarity; Visualization; Mutual Learning; Heritag

A Post-industrial Walk in Genk. Engaging with heritage through participatory design

status: Published onlin