In the second seminar about values, ethics and teaching we were asked to look at UAL’s current Climate Justice resources on Canvas. There was a lively debate around the topic, with some suggesting that UAL’s climate initiatives just don’t go far enough and they could be a lot more radical in their approach.
I was delighted to see Escobar as a suggested alternative text, even though it wasn’t officially in this year’s reading list, however I was familiar with the reading as it was the basis of one the MA UX project briefs. The headline of the brief was titled “Design a set of pluriversal household objects” this particular brief explores the idea that, design acknowledges that there is a new way of looking at our current planetary existence that is many sided, multiple, transgenic, multi species, deeply entangled with non-human, systemic, and infrastructural entities.
As visions for the future are not created in a bubble; they are co-created along with those that will live with their effects. Visions for the future should inform solutions in the present. However, much of pluriversal and transition thinking that has been embraced in the field of design has focused on the idea of ‘innovation’ – new ideas that spur new products and services. In reality, societal transitions involve two major shifts: a build-up, and a break-down.
The university is first and foremost a business, driven by growth and profits – focusing on this type of innovation isn’t sustainable for the future. I think we can learn a lot from Escobar’s ethical standpoint on design, one that does not emphasise constant growth and novelty but values what we already have.
Bibliography:
Escobar, A. (2018). Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.