PERSONAL REFLECTION
As a living being what do you cherish? How do these ideas, beings, things and/or experiences help you navigate through life?
When exploring what I cherish and how these ideas allow me to navigate through life, I first reflect on who I am as a person and how I have grown up to be this way. Our experiences shape who we are and how we interact with the world around us from a young age. Early interactions with our loved ones and our environment create an imprint in our memory, these experiences form our personality and hugely affect who we become when we grow up. Throughout my studies in psychology, I have grown to understand the impact ones childhood has on the adults we become. I often reflect on my early years and how my childhood characteristics have manifested today.
(Clara, 2005)
Looking back, I have strong memories of climbing trees in my primary school and sitting in the highest branches during lunchtime. I became fascinated by observing how the leaves would slowly change colour as the seasons changed and watch them fall to the ground when autumn came. I still hold the same fascination for nature and wish to preserve what we have on this earth for future generations. Instilling in them the wonder same I have. As an upcoming designer, I am acutely aware of future societal and environmental challenges and our need to develop solutions by co-designing with diverse stakeholders and integrating indigenous worldviews into my practice. I will continue to navigate my design career using the environmental values ingrained in me as a child.
Another strong memory I have is from when I began to walk. I took to adventuring into the unknown and blindly followed whatever I was captivated with. Taking advantage of the lack of supervision I often had as the youngest of three, I became the terror of my mother and would wander through the supermarket or park alone only to be found covered in dirt or missing a shoe. This early love of solo adventure is where my strong sense of independence began. As an adult, I cherish my autonomy and ability to live freely in many ways that others cannot. Throughout my design practice, I hope to enable others to express their independence and form unique experiences of their own. In the future, I wish to apply this vision through transformative experience designs that have a meaningful impact and long-lasting influence. Empowering others to let their voices be heard.
Lastly, I have had a passion for curiosity throughout my life, as reflected in my adventures as a child. I enjoy learning across a range of subjects and can become intensely captivated by a new hobby. I have realised that my love of learning is an aspect I enjoy in my conjoint degree of Design, Psychology and Environmental science. Making multidisciplinary connections in my understanding underpins my passion for exploring how skills in the design field can connect with a broad scope of knowledge and can be applied in unexpected places. I am excited about the intersection of design, sustainable development and social psychology and am passionate about applying my knowledge to uncover unique insights that can create impactful designs.
CASE STUDY REFLECTION
Discuss how a specific case study could be modified to better align with your own values/worldview.
A core feature of a pluriversal worldview is to value the human experience and connect with one another on a human level. The pluriversal approach encourages people to come together and share their beliefs, experiences, and knowledge about the world to create a pool of shared understanding about ourselves and how we relate to others in the world around us. We foster an exchange of diverse perspectives through human connection, which are key to creating resilient and successful solutions to complex problems. I have observed this pluriversal feature throughout previous frameworks that I have explored, particularly in transition design which calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle global challenges.
(Image via Unsplash)
The humanistic approach of a pluriversal worldview resonates with my personal values. Throughout studying psychology, I have examined why humans have an intrinsic desire to connect beyond the need for survival. Research shows that having strong community bonds fosters both emotional and physical health and is fundamental to every component of life. Taking this research into my design practices, I believe we must design with people instead of for people. By creating designs that allow people to connect and find inspiration in the ongoing conversation, designers can create impactful experiences that leave a long-lasting impact on an individual. Therefore, creating a space for others to evaluate, question, and debate possible future solutions strengthens our overall human connection.
The speculative design project 'Plasticful Foods' by the Waste 2 Worth team proposed an absurdist take on how we could tackle plastic pollution in the future. This project took a creative approach to an awareness campaign by creating an online exhibition showcasing fun visualisations paired with detailed information and pointed viewers toward a subsequent project detailing a sustainable solution. I enjoyed discovering this design as it encapsulated the creative avenues speculative design can take you down.
Although I think this project is a highly successful example of speculative design, I believe it would create more impact on the viewers by stepping beyond a digital medium and creating an immersive experience. An option would be to integrate new technologies such as virtual reality; however, part of what makes a successful human connection is finding the right place to make connection happen.
A modification I would make to 'Plasticful Food' is to transform it into a physical exhibition. I envision 'Plasticful' to host pop-up exhibitions around the world. Posing as a take-out joint, the exhibition could be designed to recreate the look and feel of a diner. People around the city would walk into the exhibition thinking it was a restaurant; however, upon looking at the menu to order, they would realise that the food is made of plastic. This type of immersive exhibition would allow everyday people to experience 'Plastiful Food' together and encourage discussion in a public space.
(Image via Unsplash)
AFROFUTURISM AND BEYOND
What do you see as problematic with the term ‘Indigenous Futurism’ and how could you define the term ‘Pluriversal Futurism’ in a way that presents more scope for envisioning futures which are inclusive to different modes of being, knowing and doing?
Indigenous futurism is a term that describes scenarios in which indigenous ways of being are adapted into future contexts. Indigenous futurism creates a framework by which the next generations can hear indigenous voices alongside other prominent ways of being and are not forgotten in the past. This allows a space for indigenous people to imagine how their cultural values and indigenous lifestyles may develop and adapt to alternative futures. The term indigenous futurism was coined quite recently alongside a new wave of indigenous portrayals in popular media. For example, the 2018 Marvel blockbuster 'Black Panther' portrayed a version of indigenous futurism called Afrofuturism. The film follows an African nation that remained independent from western influences and developed futuristic technologies using indigenous knowledge and local resources.
(Image via Unsplash)
However, indigenous futurism, including Afrofuturism, is at risk of being told from a single perspective. As Chimamanda Acnecide states, telling a single story, or portraying a culture from a single perspective risks creating stereotypes, perpetuates historical inaccuracies and threatens the authenticity of indigenous futurism and indigenous representations in popular media. When exploring the indigenous field of view, we must examine our preconceptions about other cultures and put aside western epistemologies. Through applying a pluriversal approach to indigenous futurism, we can tell many stories and listen to each other on a human level to create a shared understanding of indigenous ways of being.
Pluriversal futurism enables us to bring many voices to the table and create many futures for indigenous cultures to exist in parallel. To promote pluriversal futurism, we must be vulnerable and open about our gaps in knowledge to prevent assumptions. Through shared understandings of diverse cultural backgrounds, we can create visions of a more inclusive future. This grants us the opportunity to examine future challenges from indigenous perspectives that offer alternative solutions to those found in western knowledge, thus creating future societies that reflect diverse cultures' strengths. After all, pluriversal futurism allows us to...
"imagine more empathetic, inclusive and impactful design solutions" (Winchester, W. 2018).
In order to define the term 'Pluriversal Futurism' in a way that presents more scope for envisioning futures that are inclusive to different modes of being, knowing and doing, we must change our approach around how indigenous cultures are represented in design. With a commitment to authenticity and respect, we must strive to create an accepting and safe space that enables indigenous people to share their vision for the future, allowing them to create their own narrative. By listening to indigenous voices we can create a pluriversal future that tells many stories, not just one.
REFERENCES
De La Cadena, Marisol, and Mario Blaser. A WORLD of MANY WORLDS. Duke University Press, 2016. https://www.dukeupress.edu/Assets/PubMaterials/978-1-4780-0295-6_601.pdf.
Waste2Worth, (2020). Plasticful Foods Campaign Images [Photographs]. https://plasticfulfoods.com/
Winchester, W. (2018), Afrofuturism, Inclusion, and the Design Imagination, Robert Morris University, https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/march-april-2018/afrofuturism-inclusion-and-the-design-imagination
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