CROSS CULTURAL CO-DESIGNING FOR INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABLE (TEXTILE) DESIGN SOLUTIONS – QUESTIONING SDG 4 & 17
Year: 2023
Editor: Buck, Lyndon; Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik
Author: Wachs, Marina-Elena; Weber, Charlotte
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Section: Professional perspectives for design students in a pluralistic future
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2023.6
ISBN: 978-1-912254-19-4
Abstract
Our main intention is designing a sustainable future together in Europe and around the globe while respecting design ownership with the help of co-designing with people from so called foreign cultures and by learning from other cultural codes and minds. This is a question about cultural education in cultural appropriation and provenance in design. This paper will showcase design methods for co-designing and cross-cultural design processes to educate students and partners from industry in respecting design codes. We are using the elements of edu-care (Scone) related to our knowledge archives for a sustainable academic future. Regarding the designing – working – producing – and living conditions, the SDGs give us all an orientation for the future. This paper focuses on four SDGs: the SDG No 9 proposes, ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’. With help of design case studies from students, we are also showcasing SDG 17 – ‘Partnership for the Goals’, not only in Europe. This could give all a perspective on a healthier world through cross cultural co-designing. SDG No 5 ‘Gender and Equality’ and SDG 12 about ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ are supported by our question about cultural appropriation in the design business, and reference the politically relevant focus, selected by UN for the year 2023. ‘Cultural appropriation’ (Savoy) originally relates to art robbery. It is not only a debate taking place in fashion design since the designer Isabel Marant was criticised, for making profits while using ethnological significant patterns of indigenous people without asking permission. But cultural appropriation in a ‘positive way’ is also the remembrance and ‘revalue’ of techniques / hand crafted techniques, which run the risk of being lost. This knowledge represents our ‘cultural mind’ (Assmann) and our knowledge archive for the future. How we might use this valuable knowledge archive is showcased, using co-design and cross-disciplinary learning. By combining new knowledge connected to rituals, cultural behaviour and old techniques with the technological aid of digital tools of our 4th industrial revolution we can enter a post digitalisation ‘industry 5.0’ era. Based on the case studies and literature review, this paper discusses different techniques and interactive co-design on different media levels, with stakeholders from different countries in a respectful way. Regarding the question of cultural appropriation and ‘provenance in design’- seven (7) elements meet the needs for a future circular sustainable economy using cross-cultural co-designing. Questioning the SDGs 9, 17 and 12 with co-designing and cross-cultural design projects during the study-programs in Europe, we could trigger more interactive, cross-cultural projects with this paper. In the 2nd step this paper could help to get more financial support for these kind of project.
Keywords: innovation through cross-cultural co-designing and SDG No17, respecting design ownership, resilient (textile) knowledge archives and SDG No4, cultural appropriation, provenance in design