*presentation and feedback
*exploring design through the Pluriverse
- after our feedback we wanted to incorporate more of Escobar’s themes. understanding that often times we have to zoom out and realize that not every problem needs a solution. This has opened our scope to better understand what we want to achieve and how.
* Participatory Design
this weekend I went to Basel, Switzerland to attend my father in laws birthday. every time that I come to Switzerland I am surrounded with design and this particular time I happen to stumble upon the perfect example of participatory design.
as we were in the city we stumbled upon kilometers and kilometers of fabric laid on the ground. as our curiosity grew we approached a poster that explained the occurrence. the city laid out several crates filled with cloths, each piece of fabric had velcro to attach. the essence of this was to encourage people to network, talk, and discuss how to shape the city for the future.
we arrived to the city around 17hr when the joint collection of the fabrics was taking place and the grills were turning on. to incentivize people for the collection of the hundreds of cloths, a public grill was set in place where the collection of cloths would land you a meal.
but.... how does my little vacay relate to class? how is this participatory design? let me break it down.
BIGNIK embodies participatory design because the artwork itself only exists through the active involvement of the public. instead of a designer producing a fixed, finished object, the project invites citizens to co-create the giant “growing picnic cloth” by using the space collectively. this transforms participants from passive spectators into co-designers of both the artifact and the social experience. in Sanders & Stappers’ terms, this shifts design from being for people to being created with people, where the process and participation are as valuable as the outcome (“Co-Creation and the New Landscapes of Design,” 2008).
moreover, BIGNIK aligns with Pelle Ehn’s (1988) perspective from Scandinavian participatory design traditions: design should be democratic and open-ended, giving communities the tools and spaces to shape their environments. the act of laying down cloths, eating together, and even discussing urban planning, makes design a platform for dialogue, community building, and shared authorship.
in essence, BIGNIK is participatory design because it dissolves the boundary between designer and user, the collective action IS the design. What’s being designed is not just a picnic cloth, but a shared cultural ritual and sense of belonging.
moreover, BIGNIK aligns with Pelle Ehn’s (1988) perspective from Scandinavian participatory design traditions: design should be democratic and open-ended, giving communities the tools and spaces to shape their environments. the act of laying down cloths, eating together, and even discussing urban planning, makes design a platform for dialogue, community building, and shared authorship.
in essence, BIGNIK is participatory design because it dissolves the boundary between designer and user, the collective action IS the design. What’s being designed is not just a picnic cloth, but a shared cultural ritual and sense of belonging.