Resituated
Project type /
Speculative Design
Date /
April' 2023
Client /
Dr. Gillian Russel
Team /
Sarah Daniels, Clare Huang & Denisa Marinescu
Resituated explores a posthumanist future imaginary that offers a glimpse into a fictional grassroots society who devote their lives to living in balance with all that surrounds them. Using designed objects and storytelling, the project reveals the coming-of-age ceremony of the Summit Heights peoples where young members are gifted their very own power loom kit to symbolize and support the relationality between protection of land and body. The kits contain all manner of materials required to grow a local powerloom, from seeds of a Douglas fir and stinging nettle, to a bar of beeswax, along with instruction guides for planting and sourcing resources. The kit also features a short story that is integral to the Summit Heights culture and contributes to the budding post-humanist mindset for children to preserve their ecosystem within the community. Representing the higher concerns of the Summit Heights Society the project asks: What are ways to live in a posthumanist world?
The Influence of Posthumanist Design on Senior Design Students
As senior design students, exploring posthumanism can provide a new perspective on the impact of our designs on the world as a whole. By considering the experiences of non-human entities, we can broaden our understanding of the relationships between humans and the environment. This shift in focus can lead to innovative and sustainable design solutions that benefit both humans and the planet.
The Psychological Barrier in Human-Centered Design
The idea of human-centered design has planted a psychological barrier in designers' thinking process, leading them to only cater to the immediate audience rather than all potential audiences in a process. By challenging this norm, we can break down these barriers and create designs that are inclusive and beneficial for all entities involved. Posthumanism allows us to question the traditional notions of design and approach it from a more holistic perspective.
Posthumanism and Sustainability
In our project, posthumanism begins with sustainability. By designing with a focus on sustainability, we can create a more equitable and just society that takes into account the needs of both humans and the environment. This approach encourages us to question our assumptions and rethink our design practices, leading to more innovative and responsible solutions.
The License to Question
Part of our role as designers can be to engage people to question things that have been normalized in their lives. By challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries, we can create designs that are thought-provoking and impactful. This approach can lead to more meaningful and engaging designs that create a dialogue and inspire change.
While many scholars in a wide range of fields have contributed to the rich discussion of the posthuman, there are also reasons to critique and question this new theoretical framing as well as its potential application in the field of design. Even though design scholars, researchers, and practitioners are already beginning to see the relevance of these theories, associated practices remain undeveloped, leaving much of the translation work to be done in order to move from theory to practice.
My Understanding of Human-Centred Design
Human-centered design (HCD) to me is about giving people what they want and more. Recently, there's been confusion about its definition, and a 2012 study by Zoltowski, Oakes, and Cardella highlights that HCD's description varies based on how designers integrate user perspectives. It can overlap with tech-centric approaches or become more service-oriented. Rather than a fixed ideology, HCD seems to encompass diverse design patterns indirectly benefiting humans. The study suggests a need for a more precise definition that acknowledges its evolving nature. HCD is not a one-size-fits-all term but a dynamic mix adapting to user needs and evolving with empathy at its core.
The Exposition : The Reading List
Embarking on a quest to unravel the intricate dynamics of Posthumanism and its impact on design, I curated a diverse reading list encompassing influential works that promised to illuminate various facets of this evolving paradigm.​
"Things We Could Design: For More Than Human-Centered Worlds" by Ron Wakkary: Ron Wakkary's book emerged as a foundational exploration challenging the conventional human-centered design ethos. It hinted at a broader understanding of design that extends beyond the human perspective, setting the stage for a more inclusive and diverse conceptualization.
"Posthumanism and Design" by Laura Furlano: Laura Furlano's work appeared as a crucial text offering a theoretical lens into the intersection of posthumanism and design. It promised to dissect the philosophical underpinnings, providing insights into how posthumanist principles manifest in contemporary design thinking.​
"Entanglement HCI" by Christopher Frauenberger: Christopher Frauenberger's contribution in "Entanglement HCI" suggested an exploration into the entwined relationship between Human-Computer Interaction and posthumanist ideologies. This work seemed poised to unravel the complexities of how technology intertwines with the human experience in design practices.
"Towards Posthumanist Design: With-Water" by Lisa Meaney: Lisa Meaney's work promised a focused examination, likely centered around water, to illustrate the practical applications of posthumanist design thinking. This specific case study appeared to offer tangible examples and insights into the incorporation of posthumanist principles.​
"Actor Network Theory" by Bruno Latour: Bruno Latour's exploration of Actor Network Theory hinted at a deep dive into the interconnectedness of actors—human and non-human—in shaping sociotechnical systems. This perspective likely provided a broader context for understanding how various elements influence and shape design processes.
"Cyborg Manifesto" by Donna Haraway: Donna Haraway's groundbreaking "Cyborg Manifesto" was anticipated to provide a feminist and cyborg-oriented lens on posthumanism. This work promised to challenge traditional boundaries between humans and machines, offering a radical perspective on the future of design.​
"Agential Realism" by Karen Barad: Karen Barad's exploration of Agential Realism suggested a critical examination of agency and the entanglement of human and non-human elements. This work likely contributed nuanced insights into the philosophical aspects of posthumanist design.
By engaging with these diverse voices, I aimed to construct a comprehensive mosaic of Posthumanism in Design. Each author, from Wakkary to Barad, offered a unique vantage point, enriching my exploration and deepening my understanding of a paradigm that challenges traditional design narratives and reshapes our relationship with technology, nature, and society.
The Rising Action : The Dream
So the dream is to see a posthumanist world where the Human Centered Design ideology is dethroned. This is because I believe everything (humans and nonhumans) exists in a network of relations - defining one another in embodied and situated circumstances that give life to multiple, intertwining intra-actions. Within such intra-actions we must understand both the limitations of individual perspectives and human knowledge. In terms of perspectives, I believe experiences are unique and unknown, momentary and fleeting, and collective yet temporary. Current human knowledge requires boundaries which are ill-measured scales consisting of “disciplines,” “fields,” or “schools.” These territories restrict our ability to view the world as an intra-connected plurality where design is a sense of cooperation between humans and/or nonhumans; i.e. designing-with. Due to this incapacitation, modern day design has found itself centered around dear old humans i.e. the immediate user without considering the end user
The Climax :
More Than Design
In reassessing design principles, we challenge the limitations of human-centered design, recognizing its adverse effects on the environment. Advocating a transition to posthumanism, our collective stance promotes an inclusive "more-than-human mindset." We propose a paradigm shift from human-centered to "designing-with," prioritizing harmonious coexistence between humans and nonhumans. Our critique extends to commonly used materials like concrete, urging consideration of sustainable alternatives for a holistic design lifecycle. While posthumanist design is in its developmental stage, our references to influential figures like Ron Wakkary and Karen Barad underscore its potential. Envisioning posthumanism as a pivotal historical moment, we call on designers to integrate this mindset, fostering a sustainable and inclusive future.
The Implementation
"Resituated" represents a tangible manifestation of this posthumanist thinking. The fictional grassroots society, Summit Heights, embodies the theoretical principles we proposed. The coming-of-age ceremony and the gifting of power loom kits symbolize a deep connection between the protection of the land and the well-being of the individuals within the community. The kits, containing materials for cultivating a local powerloom, exemplify a practical application of sustainable design methods, considering the entire lifecycle of the design, from its origins to its afterlife.
By connecting the theoretical framework to the practical implementation in "Resituated," we bridge the gap between philosophy and action. The project becomes a lived example of the posthumanist principles we advocated for, showcasing a community actively striving to live in balance with its surroundings. It serves as an illustration of how posthumanist thinking can inform and transform actual design practices, influencing the way individuals interact with and contribute to their environments.