Towards Intermediate Zones: Artefacts of the Umwelt Design Approach

Ganzevles, Giliam and de Roo, Bert (2024) Towards Intermediate Zones: Artefacts of the Umwelt Design Approach. In: P/References of Design. Cumulus conference proceedings series, 1 . Cumulus Association, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, Budapest, pp. 1099-1112. ISBN 978-952-7549-02-5

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Abstract

This paper begins by recognising our environment as a more-than-human community that is temporally and spatially situated. Within this community, all living beings are acknowledged as unique individuals encountering a reality that is shaped by their predecessors. As humans, we are part of this community, and we can choose to insert ourselves in a caring manner - or not. Acknowledging contemporary spatial practices' shortcomings, the study introduces a design approach inspired by Uexküll's concept of Umwelt to engage with the more-than-human reality. The first aspect of the approach emphasizes that each individual forms their own reality and that engaging with the subjectiveness of that reality is a participatory act towards the more-than-human community. The second aspect introduces the concept of 'intermediate zones', speculative spaces of interaction and mutual influence between Umwelten. These 'intermediate zones' seek to decenter human-centred thinking and foreground the entangled nature of our shared reality. By extending Umwelt's concept, the approach fosters a framework for exercises that explore these ideas, tested through Living Labs. In the Living Labs, an increase in the participants' sensitivity towards the more-than-human community was observed. The constellation of exercises centred around Umwelt has underscored the design process as a journey of engaging-with, rather than adhering to the conventional approach of problem-solving. We believe that the designer's role undergoes a subtle yet significant evolution: transitioning from a problem solver to a curator of ritualistic practices that incorporate and propagate more-than-human perspectives.

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