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Design Studio 03 - Second Session

Course Details

Name: Design Studio 03 - Second Session

Dates: 12 May 2025

Faculty: Roger Guilemany with guests

Sustainability Roadmap

Now that I am coming to the end of my adventure with MDEF, I have been asked to reflect on the scalability of my project. Where can I take it from here? How can I design myself out of the system so that it exists without me?

The three approaches presented in class were: research-based, product-based, and community-based projects. I have been most interested in community-based projects, however given the challenges I have faced feeling comfortable communicating with community groups here in Barcelona, I have also been thinking in some ways about a research-based approach.

Community-based Approach

If I pursue the community-based project approach, the future of my project will depend deeply on where I end up geographically in the world unless I am able to create an online/remote community to work with. In my previous experiences, I have often struggled with online communities unless I have a prior personal connection with the people involved or the group is small enough to become familiar with the members.

Some potential actors I could engage in an online community include:

  • Fellow MDEF students
  • Fab Lab people from Barcelona and potentially other places within the network
  • Makers and researchers I have met during my time in Barcelona
  • Existing online communities like Discord communities for makers and maker spaces

If I am interested in starting more of a location based practice, I will need to research specific communities in the place I end up. These could include local tool libraries, maker spaces, craftspeople, waste management organizations, and probably many more. The challenge will be finding people, finding funding, and choosing a specific direction for my efforts.

Some skills I already have that I could use in this endeavor include:

  • Communications skills (as long as it is in English)
  • Making/craft skills to enter making spaces
  • Organization skills that help keep a group running

Some knowledge I will need to acquire to move forward with a community-based project include:

  • What funding opportunities exist and how to get them in the local I end up in
  • How to get credibility for the project when starting out through collaborations with foundations or established organizations
  • What structure works best for the community/group I become a part of, if it is not already established

Research-based Approach

Another approach I would like to explore is the research-based approach. I am intending to submit an abstract about my project and investigations to at least one call for papers and while I do not currently intend to pursue further education in the area, such as a PhD or another master's degree, just yet, I feel that getting my work into a more public forum is a good step along my path.

Some potential actors I can pursue engaging with include:

  • The Maintainers through a blog post
  • The Journal of Futures Studies through their call for papers
  • Laura Kampf future maker gallery, Bricks (keep track of the development)
  • Fab Lab opportunities to for furthering research

Some skills I have that I can in research-based approach include:

  • Writing skills
  • Speaking with others about my work

Some knowledge I will need to acquire:

  • Specifics of format/style for writing journal papers
  • How to find calls for papers
  • What funding opportunities this can open up
  • How to leverage opportunities beyond funding

Basically, I have some options for furthering my MDEF project, however I do not yet see a path towards designing myself out of the project. For now, it exists in a space that relies on my involvement and the communication of my ideas myself. When I am able to find and sink into a community, I expect this will change, I hope to be able to communicate my ideas, goals, and research to a larger audience and make this path feel meaningful and while perhaps not profitable by itself, at least have it integrate into a sustainable hybrid profile of different, interlocking, overlapping opportunities.

Design Space

Updates to my Design Space to include Term 3 progress and projects.

Design Space

Reflection

Notes: Reflect on potential sustainability strategies for your Design Vision and desired Professional Identity.