13. Implications and applications

Research & Concept

Today, we constantly check our phones for environmental data, while our plants wither due to factors like climate change or neglect. This disconnect shows a paradox: we have immediate access to global information but struggle with the degradation of our immediate surroundings. The contrast between digital data and the visible impact on plants highlights how our actions directly affect ecosystems. This emphasizes the need to combine environmental awareness with technology for more responsible and sustainable decisions.

The image of dying birds, corals, and polar bears due to human activity has become a painful reality, highlighting the consequences of pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction. These events serve as reminders of our responsibility to protect biodiversity and take action against environmental degradation. The challenge is to stop this desolation from becoming accepted. How long can we ignore the consequences before it's too late to make a change?

Concept

This project aims to generate interactions that act as a protest by focusing on how our clothing can transform the way we interact, making it more intuitive and personal. The use of "clothing" that reacts to environmental changes as if we had a relationship with it presents a critique of the impersonal and utilitarian approach of technology. These devices, reminiscent of animals but without them, act as a protest against the planned obsolescence of electronic products and the disconnection between humans and their natural environment.

Instead of simply alerting us to environmental conditions, the clothing reacts in a way that requires the user to understand it deeply, establishing an intimate relationship that can foster a heightened awareness of the surrounding conditions. The end of the device's lifecycle, where the "death" of the sensors becomes a reflective ritual, reinforces a critique of impulsive consumption and the disposable nature of modern technology.

Additionally, this approach invites reflection on our relationship with animals, which we have traditionally used as mediators of nature. The project presents a protest in the form of interaction with technology that rehumanizes our connections with devices while simultaneously critiquing the role of animals and nature in our lives, leading to a new way of thinking about our responsibility in creating a more sustainable and ethical future.

The Goal

Design a garment whose interactions act as a form of protest, focusing on how involuntary movements in the body of the wearer are triggered with the help of vibrators, electrodes, and motors, which activate when someone uses the hashtag #globalwarming on Twitter.

References & Inspiration

1. Critiquing Anthropocentrism This book challenges the traditional human-centered design approach, pointing out how it's tied to capitalist thinking, much like the work of Jalali and Gholami and Design Research Works. It argues that we need to move away from anthropocentric design, not just as an idea but as a moral obligation to address the unsustainable, colonialist design practices we’ve inherited. Jalali and Gholami also push for frameworks that recognize non-human agency, while Design Research Works emphasizes designing alongside natural systems to create more balanced solutions.

2. Expanding Design’s Role The book suggests that design should go beyond just creating products—it should be a tool for making the world more just and sustainable. This connects with what Jalali and Gholami focus on: tools and practices for living in harmony with non-human entities and using more-than-human design (MtH) to challenge harmful systems. Design Research Works also encourages designers to rethink how we relate to nature and our environment, showing how design can drive change in society and ecology.

3. Bridging Theory and Practice The book dives into newer areas of design like speculative and critical design, which are non-anthropocentric. This fits with Jalali and Gholami’s ideas of using methods like sound sketching and scenario-building to put MtH principles into action. Design Research Works adds to this by encouraging new narratives and tools that can help us make this shift in practice, bridging the gap between theory and real-world change.

4. Ethics of Coexistence One of the book's key points is about adopting an ethics of "more-than-human coexistence," which fits perfectly with Jalali and Gholami’s focus on respecting non-human agency. Both works argue that we need to break away from unsustainable design practices and push for more ethical, collaborative approaches that put equity and environmental responsibility at the forefront.

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• Download reference

• Environment-Centered Design

• Planetary Design
• Iohanna Niceboim
• Zahra Jalali & Kimia Gholami
• Interspecies Play
• From human-centred to interspecies design

Why, What, Who, When, Where?

I will explore the creation of interactive garments designed to act as a form of protest, focusing on how involuntary bodily movements triggered by environmental data can raise awareness about global issues such as climate change. This exploration seeks to critique the impersonal, utilitarian nature of technology by transforming it into a deeply personal and intuitive experience. Specifically, I will examine how the garment responds to environmental changes, requiring the wearer to develop a close, almost intimate relationship with the technology, symbolizing the need for a more ethical and sustainable approach to technological design.

The project is for individuals who are interested in environmental activism, technology, and the ethics of design. It also aims to spark conversations about the relationship between humans and the natural world. The garment acts as both a practical tool for environmental monitoring and a protest against consumerism and the disposability of technology.

I will collaborate with designers, technologists, and environmentalists to bring this concept to life. The project will involve the integration of sensors, actuators to create an intuitive interaction with environmental changes. The design will be developed over a series of phases, from conceptualization to prototyping, with the goal of completing the first functional prototypes by the end of the year.

This process aligns with the work of theorists and designers like Jalali and Gholami, who emphasize ethical frameworks that honor non-human agency, as well as works that critique anthropocentric, capitalist-driven design models. It also draws on the concept of "more-than-human" design, exploring how technology can bridge the gap between humanity and the environment in a sustainable and meaningful way.

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