Vital Materialism design methodologies for social change (Visual art work)

Background Since 2005, Nordes is a design research network with a biannual conference held at key institutions throughout the Nordic region, highlighting emergent directions in design research concerned with political and ecological aspects in design. Vital Materialism design methodologies for social change (2015) is the third project in the research collaboration between Ricarda Bigolin and Clemens Thornquist (2013 - 2016). At Nordes 2015 Design Ecologies the project was presented in an exhibition and paper published in the Nordes Digital Archive ISSN 1604-9705. The conference is unique in the way it programmatically champions both the design artifact/object and research, combining and giving equal weight to the exhibition and conference. Contribution The practice based research project by Bigolin and Thornquist demonstrates new and propositional design methods from 'performative' studies between bodies, materials and space. This project asserts the role of the image in documenting performance by creating a new type of prototype that explores functions of materials without being wearable prototypes. Teunissen (2014) argues that only in recent developments, do designers consider the materiality of clothing as a key aspect of the design process, acknowledging a gap in the field in regards to the role of material and image. The use of found materials as potential palettes and tools to re-use in the design process 'argues for the potential of material as foundational for creating change ...This proposes engagement with material, body, space & image as a precursor to the linear and formalistic version of the design process' (Bigolin and Thornquist 2015). (continued on attached doc)