Tarcan / A Messy Autoethnographic Documentation of Making with the Environment

A Messy Autoethnographic Documentation of Making with the Environment

Author: Berilsu Tarcan, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Supervisor: Ida Nilstad Pettersen, Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Ferne Leigh Edwards, Postdoc Fellow Dr., Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Trond Are Øritsland, Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Research stage: Initial Doctoral Stage

Category: Artefact

DDR Statement

DDr is employed in this research as a facilitator to broaden knowledge acquired from making activities. It combines theoretical approaches with DDr not as a way to bring innovation, but for producing new knowledge. This new knowledge will be a combination of theoretical and practical research. DDr in this research consists of a making activity and the documentation of this process. Making in this context is defined as close to design and craft relations, which enables the maker to interact directly with the material that may lead to learning about the making activity and tacit/experiential knowledge, and to help generate theoretical understandings in design. The explorative and processual aspects of the practice are underlined through DDr.

DDr approach not only helps because the main activity is related to making textiles with wool, but it also influences the thought process regarding repositioning cultural aspects in design, which might be unseen or put under the covers in many practices and artefact outcomes. These cultural aspects consist of making/production techniques, tacit and traditional knowledge, symbols, and emerging theories in design that also relate to sustainability issues. Working through artefacts allows me to document and manifest the relationship of environment and design in an apparent way. With autoethnographical documentations of the making process, material experiences and reflective diaries, understanding of felting practice and wool material are aimed.