Just announced: a call for contributions to a new edited
book about design and nature! We welcome many types and formats of pieces and
many different perspectives. More details below…
Why The context of this book is the threat to vital
earth systems, as exemplified by climate change, ecological toxicity, and biodiversity
loss. Human activities are driving the deterioration of natural systems.
Technology, policy, new business models – even changed behaviours, are not
enough to reverse the deterioration. Instead, new – or rediscovered old –
relationships between humans and nature are required. Design, a powerful
extension of
humans, needs ecological insight. This book is being made, boldly
and explicitly to create change.
What Organized as a dialogue between nature and design,
this book explores design ideas, opportunities, visions and practices for
relating and uncovering how design can engage with the natural world. Ideas and
practices carving out the relational, context-rich territory of ‘design and
nature’ are still at an embryonic stage. The book aims to sketch out–feel
out a new discipline for design, a new way of designing, a new ethic and
new ways of integrating design with nature. Ultimately, this book aims to offer
new ways of seeing the sustainability imperative and thereby seeks to address a
convergence of crises in ecological, socio-cultural, and economic systems while
finding potential for design actions including those outside design’s
traditional comfort zone. This includes challenging the complex relationships
and narratives of our world, from economic growth imperatives to patriarchal
worldviews.
How This edited work seeks to imaginatively build ways
of knowing about design in relationship with others, including: scholars and
practitioners outside of design, voices outside a dominant global North, the
very young and old, and other-than-humans. It does this by presenting texts,
visual essays and design responses from a wide variety of sources including
natural science, visual arts, nature philosophy, poetry, design theory and
practice. The contributions explore design engaging in the world,
not standing apart from it and in so doing describe a deeply
interconnected view of people and nature based on experience of participating
in the world through life, responsibility and context. Each contributor is invited
to be explicit about their own position, and to offer an agenda for work ahead.
For whom The primary audience for this book is design
academics, and the secondary audience includes practicing designers and design
managers, creative directors. Because of the general nature of some of the
content, it will also be interesting to a lay audience that is curious about
our human-made world and its relationship to nature. The book will be published
in black and white. Full contributions will range from 1500-3500 words,
depending on the type of contribution. We will invite all contributors to take
part in activating the book, through its process of becoming, and when it has
been published.
Key dates and process
10 November 2017 Deadline for submission of abstracts.
Please send us an abstract of 700 words, and include imagery
as relevant. Please specify the type of contribution you are intending to make
– i.e. case study, visual essay, poetry, as well as the perspectives you wish to
take, and the geographical location from which you write. We ask contributors
to explicitly position themselves in their narrative, and also to contribute to
an agenda onwards for practice, education, research.
For submission of abstract and if you have questions, please
contact:
Kate Fletcher Professor of Sustainability, Design,
Fashion, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, University of the Arts London.
Email Kate
Louise St Pierre Associate Professor of Design, Emily
Carr University, Vancouver, Canada. Email Louise
Mathilda Tham Professor of Design, Linnaeus University,
Sweden. Email Mathilda
More information at katefletcher.com.
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