An Ecology for Design: From the Natural, through the Artificial, to the Un-Natural,
Hocking, Viveka Turnbull, 2009, An Ecology for Design: From the Natural, Through the Artificial, To the Un-Natural, Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal, Vol.3 Iss.1, pp.41-54.
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Abstract

The term ‘ecology’ used as a metaphor was picked up by the discipline of Design in the late 1980’s with theorists such as Branzi, Manzini, Pantzar and Krippendorff’s exploration of ‘the ecology of the artificial’. This ecological metaphor played an important part in the re-assessment of Design’s role in line with social and environmental issues. As evident in the Munich Design Charter of 1990, an ecological model was used to initiate a debate over the fundamental role Design plays in developing our future. However, during the ensuing decade and a half, understanding of ‘ecology’ and notions of sustainability have changed considerably. This paper aims to re-visit the ecological metaphor, to see if ‘ecology’ is still a useful context for understanding how Design can play a role in sustainable change. The paper will start with a brief exploration of what ‘ecology’ has come to mean. It will go on to show how ‘ecology’ has been used by the field of Design, particularly as a metaphor in the phrase ‘ecology of the artificial’. It concluds by proposing a context for Design that might be more effective in conceptualising how the field can be of significant value in sustainable change.

Introduction:

This paper emerges out of my exploration into ‘ecology of the artificial’, as a phrase prominent in the move towards a systems approach for Design[1] and a process of engaging in sustainable change. The phrase took the interprive model of ecology and used it as a metaphore for understanding our artifacts as a complex interconnecting system of relationships and lead to a deeper understanding of Design’s socio-environmental responsibilities. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the use of ‘ecology’ in Design in order to consider a context for Design in sustainability. The key question at the heart of this discussion is:
How can Design play a role in sustainable change?
‘Ecology’ is a key concept as a field of study, a metaphor and a movement in considering Design’s place in the ‘natural’[2], ‘artificial’[3] and ‘un-natural’[4] system of everyday life.

Marked by the 2008 Design conference Changing the Change, Torino, Italy, the field acknowledges that work still needs to be done in re-contextualising Design towards more sustainable practices. The conference highlighted the part Design has played in manifesting the un-sustainable nature of our world.

…despite the good intentions of many, design still continues to be far more "part of the problem" than "part of the solution"; serving more to accelerate unsustainable processes rather than promoting new ways of being and doing to help individuals and communities live better, reduce their ecological footprint and regenerate the social fabric. (Manzini, 2008, p.iii)

The conference showcased the research being done to change the direction of Design towards more sustainable practices.

If indeed design wants to be "part of the solution" it must, perhaps first and foremost, develop a new research culture and new research practices: an open research, sensitive to present contexts, that leads to a better understanding of the great changes underway and of what should be done to re-orient them towards sustainability. (Manzini, 2008, p.iii)

During the conference was voiced a suggestion that there should come a time when we stop talking about Sustainable Design as if it is something different and just talk about Design, where the context of good design[5] is one immersed in all the contingencies of sustainability. As a field this context needs to be considered as one through which we can contribute to sustainable change rather than proliferating unsustainable processes. In this way, the discussion of ‘how Design can play a role in sustainable change’ can be continued.

Socio-environmental responsibility is a conversation initiated in the 1960’s with warnings from Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), the 70’s with Victor Papanek’s Design for the Real World (1971), and the 80’s with the Bruntland Report’s Our Common Future (1987) and the appearance of the phrase ‘ecology of the artificial’ in the Design literature. The delegates at the Changing the Change conference noted with some frustration ‘we are still just talking about it’ four decades on. We still have not seen the momentum needed to make significant changes in our everyday lives. In order to ‘design now’ for sustainable change we need to continue the conversation into a context for ‘how Design can play a role’. It is in the discourse of ‘how’ that Design will most effectively be able to initiate a contribution of significant value ‘now’.
I will start this conversation with the notion of ‘ecology’; what it means, how and why it has been used in order to evaluate the phrase ‘ecology of the artificial’ for Design. The function of this critique is to aid the process of considering a more effective context for our discussion into ‘how Design can play a role in sustainable change’.

For more information contact Viveka email: viveka.hocking@anu.edu.au

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