Readings:

• Material Driven Design (MDD): A Method to Design for Material Experiences (14 pages)
• DESIGN FOR FUTURE COEXISTENCES (17 pages)

Reading Response:

Compared to traditional problem-driven projects, in your opinion, what are the pros and cons of material-driven projects?

• I think the pros of material driven projects is that
• pros: it reflects “the material’s purpose with a situational whole”, and it utilizes the material in it’s maximum
  • “not only in shaping our internal dialogues with artifacts, but also in shaping ways of doing and practices”
  • the sensorial, interpretative (meanings), affective (emotions), and performative
  • overall creates better design based on experimenting with materials different aspects
• cons:
  • the major cons is that it is time-consuming and resourse-consuming as it needs ongoing material driven design methods
  • it might not always yield functional or practical solutions, especially if the focus is on exploration rather than application, esp in commertial contexts.

Discuss how understanding materials as active agents and the sympoietic method could lead to more sustainable futures. Do you agree or disagree?

• i agree that materials as active agents and the sympoietic method can lead to more sustainable futures
• because through learning by practicing and interacting, we learn more about nature and humans in a whole
• and in order to prevent the downfall of anthropocentric world, the sympoietic method helps us to understand the balance between different materials and between humans. In the article, described as the “positive effectiveness” between algae and fungi in lichens
• it is a biological metaphor for the massive world.

Is it possible to collaborate with nature and change designers and artists’ practices regarding aesthetics and timelines?

• Yes, it is possible
• This kind of collaboration invites artists and designers to adopt more process-oriented approaches that align with natural rhythms and cycles rather than rigid, human-centered timelines and aesthetics.
• For example: artists and designers can learn to embrance imperfectness in nature, from the look, textures, to its decay
• rather than aiming for more industrial and technological perfection
• Artists and designers can also be inspired more from the nature, such as from plants, minerals, and other sustainable sources, or weather and growth patterns
• Although challenges such as longer time-spans and unpredictability in the artworks, through the working and sitting with the creative process, surprised results may occur.