In order to understand better which opportunities design practice may hold to support and sustain cultural values and consequently support consumer behaviour that is value driven, it is important to define the role of culture in the context of sustainability.
A framework for cultural sustainability recently established by Joost Dessein and Katriina Soini explores different definitions of culture from a ‘ “broad“, way-of-life based concept referring to all domains of human life’, to a ‘ “narrow”, art-based culture referring to both the general process of intellectual, spiritual or aesthetic development, as well as the results of intellectual and artistic work, which can also be called cultural capital.’(Soini and Dessein, 2016:5) These different approaches imply different roles for culture in the field of sustainable development. The narrow approach would lead to a definition of: ‘culture in sustainability’ which looks at culture as a fourth pillar on the sustainability agenda (the others being, ecology, economy and sociology). An example of this would be the preservation of textile objects to ‘sustain’ their symbolic cultural status for future generations. The broad approach on the other hand leads to define ‘culture for sustainability’, suggesting that both material and immaterial culture are regarded as an essential resource for sustainable development. The authors go even further by defining ‘culture as sustainability’ which ‘opens up the broadest perspective for looking at human and social life as a whole.’ (Soini and Dessein, 2016:5).
Because this research deals with material artefacts however, it is the second definition of cultural sustainability, which I shall pursue. This definition understands cultural values not as intrinsic but as instrumental to sustainable development. It implies that if cultural values are continuously recreated they may affect sustainable development as a whole. Anne Thorpe highlights both the human relationship towards material culture as well as the role of communication as integral to cultural sustainability. In her Designer’s Atlas for Sustainability she suggests that an increasing commercialisation of cultural artefacts and one way flow of communication as a result of new media technologies counter-act meaningful human interactions that produce cultural value and consequently human well-being and happiness (Thorpe, 2007). Joanne Eicher’s definition of culture is based on‘human-made material items and patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour shared by members of a group who regularly interact with one another’ (Eicher, 2008:36). If human interactions are understood as an instrumental part in the construction of cultural values and in working towards cultural sustainability then it should be those human interactions that design aims to foster and facilitate.
(Framework for cultural sustainability: Soini and Dessein, 2016:4)
The role of design
How than can design be employed to foster and facilitate human interaction? And further, how can design foster and facilitate human interaction that is meaningful and may lead to the construction of cultural values? This is an important differentiation and touches…continue reading
The role of technology
Because this research is situated in the context of emerging technologies and challenges their impact on African culture, part of the study has examined how such technologies could take on an active role in making textile design more instrumental to sustain cultural values…continue reading
Design output
In exploring design as a tool to facilitate the construction of cultural values through communication – investigated both with and without the use of technologies – this research has resulted in four different design prototypes…continue reading
Cultural sustainability
In order to understand better which opportunities design practice may hold to support and sustain cultural values and consequently support consumer behaviour that is value driven, it is important to define the role of culture in the context of sustainability.
A framework for cultural sustainability recently established by Joost Dessein and Katriina Soini explores different definitions of culture from a ‘ “broad“, way-of-life based concept referring to all domains of human life’, to a ‘ “narrow”, art-based culture referring to both the general process of intellectual, spiritual or aesthetic development, as well as the results of intellectual and artistic work, which can also be called cultural capital.’ (Soini and Dessein, 2016:5) These different approaches imply different roles for culture in the field of sustainable development. The narrow approach would lead to a definition of: ‘culture in sustainability’ which looks at culture as a fourth pillar on the sustainability agenda (the others being, ecology, economy and sociology). An example of this would be the preservation of textile objects to ‘sustain’ their symbolic cultural status for future generations. The broad approach on the other hand leads to define ‘culture for sustainability’, suggesting that both material and immaterial culture are regarded as an essential resource for sustainable development. The authors go even further by defining ‘culture as sustainability’ which ‘opens up the broadest perspective for looking at human and social life as a whole.’ (Soini and Dessein, 2016:5).
Because this research deals with material artefacts however, it is the second definition of cultural sustainability, which I shall pursue. This definition understands cultural values not as intrinsic but as instrumental to sustainable development. It implies that if cultural values are continuously recreated they may affect sustainable development as a whole. Anne Thorpe highlights both the human relationship towards material culture as well as the role of communication as integral to cultural sustainability. In her Designer’s Atlas for Sustainability she suggests that an increasing commercialisation of cultural artefacts and one way flow of communication as a result of new media technologies counter-act meaningful human interactions that produce cultural value and consequently human well-being and happiness (Thorpe, 2007). Joanne Eicher’s definition of culture is based on ‘human-made material items and patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour shared by members of a group who regularly interact with one another’ (Eicher, 2008:36). If human interactions are understood as an instrumental part in the construction of cultural values and in working towards cultural sustainability then it should be those human interactions that design aims to foster and facilitate.
(Framework for cultural sustainability: Soini and Dessein, 2016:4)
The role of design
How than can design be employed to foster and facilitate human interaction? And further, how can design foster and facilitate human interaction that is meaningful and may lead to the construction of cultural values? This is an important differentiation and touches…continue reading
The role of technology
Because this research is situated in the context of emerging technologies and challenges their impact on African culture, part of the study has examined how such technologies could take on an active role in making textile design more instrumental to sustain cultural values…continue reading
Design output
In exploring design as a tool to facilitate the construction of cultural values through communication – investigated both with and without the use of technologies – this research has resulted in four different design prototypes…continue reading