Design for Biodiversity – Rituals in GIF

Written by Zach camozzI
INDD200 Faculty zach Camozzi (2018-20) Charlotte Falk (2018-20), Sophie Guar (2020), and Amanda Huynh (2018)

Within the Design for Biodiversity Project, we acknowledge that a one-time engagement is not enough to impact rapid biodiversity loss. Designs for biodiversity must contain rituals that are “understood to be deliberate and focused repeated moments of attention to phenomenon outside of ourselves” (St. Pierre, 2019) to protect, steward, connect or build a relationship with natural environments. Students are introduced to this definition of ritual and its purpose at the outset of the project, and are asked to look at Citizen Science, design of ritual, and First Nations perspectives for inspiration, important precedent, and indications of a greater purpose. To begin, students are asked to document activities that they currently do repeatedly in local coastal regions, in the form of a GIF. This format helps students see these activities differently and reframe them as rituals, helping them to recognize the power of place and the relevance of small impacts.

The following GIFs share rituals, or repeated actions, that may take place at a local beach.

 

 

The following GIFs represent new rituals, that some INDD200 students have considered as worthy of the Design for Biodiversity brief. Consistent themes include: slowing down and spending more time immersed in nature; activating senses other than sight; looking under the surface of the water; ephemeral mark-making; and reflecting on experiences.

All GIF’s Supplied By INDD200- 2018/2019