Leaving a Trace

Background

Increasingly, designers are expected to position themselves and their work in relation to the ecosystem. One of the first steps they can take is to include other species’ perspectives in their design decisions. The challenge lies in revealing the importance of these non-human perspectives to the designer. Leaving a Trace equips designers with tools and methods that help them to understand the relevance of and relate to the often-overlooked perspectives of other species.

Process

To tackle the perspective gap, an open-source sensor kit was developed along with a three-phase method. It starts with a simple tool most designers already possess: a sketchbook and some pens. First, the designer sketches their environment, revealing what they did or didn’t notice. By analysing their artistic choices, the sketches become a tool to break down which elements they chose to pay attention to, and which elements (or perspectives) were excluded. While there is much we can sense with our own body, other species may be affected by conditions we can’t reliably sense. In the second phase, the sensor kit is introduced, allowing ecological data to be collected, giving the designer insight into what other species are affected by. Lastly, the designer reflects on what they have noticed through sketching, imagining what a non-human viewpoint of the same environment might reveal. After retrieving the sensor kit, the data, the sketches, the photos and research are compiled into a collage, showcasing insights and providing insights into remaining questions.

Implications

This method helps build a relational and ecological understanding of an environment, shifting the emphasis away from the designer as the centre and towards their relations to the ecosystem. It builds ecological thinking through encouraging the user to go out in the field (biodiscovery), train their observation skills (biocuriosity), and gain a better understanding of what is relevant for other species (bioliteracy). Through working on both relating to the ecosystem and learning more about it, the designer is better able to determine how they wish to integrate multi-species perspectives into their process. While learning to think in terms of the ecosystem is a lifelong journey, it can help to think in terms of feasibility as well. It is important for the designer to consider how far they want their reach to go, recognising non-human agency. Fundamentally, this project reconsiders human impact not as an inherently negative consequence of design, but as something to be designed consciously.