Abstract
Artefacts with agency: Fostering resilience through practice-led research
By Tonya Sweet, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
As inhabitants of a rapidly evolving planet we are confronted with the impacts of change, including the intensification of natural disasters on the foreseeable horizon. With this awareness, our personal sense of vulnerability has increased and this, in turn, has exposed us to a uniquely contemporary breed of anxiety. As a pervasive condition, the growing apprehension experienced in the context of our precarious relationship within nature is understood to have potentially negative repercussions on our emotional well-being. While design works towards adapting to our contemporary ecological challenges, alternative approaches that prioritise the needs of our psychological condition require exploration. This paper outlines an inquiry into this subject, and introduces a case study that proposes the development of artefacts designed to foster psychological resilience in the context of pending disasters. Through rigorous engagement in practice-led research with the supportive application of a critical design strategy, the design outcomes introduced are imbued with a primary function as agents of change. Within this study, the role of the designer and the objects they create are examined in regards to their capacity to mitigate psychological stress and their function as catalysts in support of a more consequential approach to design.
Author keywords
Resilience, artefacts, critical design, agency, practice-led research