Wilderness in design

Team: 8

Team members: Thijs Meewis, Robbe Timmerman, Sarah Van Damme

Coach: Designers in residency of Design Regio Kortrijk: Emilie Froelich, emilie.froelich@gmail.com; Jadd Hallaj, jadd.hallaj@gmail.com; Elena Falomo, falomoelena@gmail.com + UGent (Francesca)



Challenge: Industrial design can be inspired by the context where it works. Wild, indigenous and maybe invasive species can inspire designers in finding new patterns to engage with nature. Many challenges open up when design engages with the wild side of nature, for example:

  • What is possible to do with the wild sources we have around Kortrijk?

  • How can we design for them?

  • How can we engage different stakeholders and actors in this mission? How can we make this a self-sustainable system?

  • ...


****Industrial design can be inspired by the context where it works. Looking at the countryside of Kortrijk, specifically at the historical moated farmsteads, you will explore how to distill ecosystems into a bio-material. Wild, indigenous and maybe invasive species can inspire designers in finding new patterns to engage with nature. Traditional methods and historical processes of production can propel new circular relationships through materiality.

Many challenges open up when design engages with local nature, for example:

  • What is possible to do with the wild sources we have around Kortrijk?

  • How can we design for them?

  • How can a material tell the story of an ecosystem?

  • Can we find inspiration in traditional processes and activities to create new circular production methods?

  • How can we engage with different stakeholders and actors in this mission?

We have also prepared some additional material that I am sharing with you as a link, so that it can be embedded quickly on the presentation website

  • A short briefing document with a bit more background information on our research: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y1Do0Jz17PbIE-mCPHkDzw8J3Au0rh7Z/view?usp=sharing

  • Our Kasteel Van Surmont Herbarium: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bvmu40MgZbrOs7fMEHcgoctRXn6N1cOo/view?usp=sharing

  • Our database as a Google Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1lsBxgEkbmwgYzGSk4ghL2B9DHM-Lmm2g&usp=sharing

  • Full Online Database (they need to request access for now unfortunately): https://github.com/elenafalomo/Eilands-of-Kortrijk

More inspirational links (the ones you provided were great already!)


https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/25/building-the-local-bricks-ellie-birkhead-design-academy-eindhoven-design-graduates/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262603054_Indigenous_and_modern_biomaterials_derived_from_Triodia_spinifex_grasslands_in_Australia

https://thepangaia.com/pages/flowerdown

https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/architecture/all/04698/facts.julia_watson_lotek_design_by_radical_indigenism.htm

https://commonedge.org/the-power-of-lo-tek-a-design-movement-to-rebuild-understanding-of-indigeous-philosophy-and-vernacular-architecture/ ****


Starter kit includes:

  1. to be decided


Infrastructure needed:

  • it is hard to envision in advance the needed infrastructures


Specific sources: