the burntsienna standards
-on responsible research & slow design thinking-
1. UNPACK History
consider the quote : ’HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS.’
QUESTION ourselves : WHAT IS THE RECORDED HISTORY? WHAT HISTORY MAY LIE DEEPER?
THese questions are a way of identifying the difference between ‘Facts’ and ‘truth’, in regards to learning the history of a person, place, practice, or space.
the overarching principle here is to conduct ‘responsible historical research’ - because oftentimes, entire cultures have been overwritten, written out, written off, OR OVERSIMPLIFIED.
SO, we’re invited to DIG DEEPER.
IF THE TOPIC OF OUR RESEARCH DRAWS on the HISTORY of any specific CULTURE OR REGION, ASK these probing QUESTIONS.
CONSIDER FURTHER : WHO WROTE OR RECORDED THIS HISTORY WE”VE FOUND? WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S REVERENCE FOR (OR CONNECTION TO) THIS CULTURE? WE SHOULD SEEK MATERIALS WRITTEN BY PEOPLE ACTUALLY WITHIN A CULTURE, OR HAVE ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS WHERE WE CAN.
JUST REMEMBER : NO ONE OWES US AN EXPLANATION OF THEIR CULTURE.
BUT, IF THEY ARE OPEN TO SHARING, WE MUST BE RESPECTFUL - MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS A LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE. LEARNING SOME OF THE LANGUAGE - BE IT VERBAL OR DESIGN - CAN BE A WONDERFUL SHOW OF INTENTION.
THEN, CONSIDER : HOW CAN THIS KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY INFORM OR INSPIRE MORE RESPECT FOR THE PROCESS?
2. Consider Parallels
consider the quote : ’THERE’S NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.’
QUESTION OURSELVES : have we seen this SOMEWHERE before? (ACROSS TIME, ACROSS industries, ACROSS DISCIPLINES)
THe above QUOTE HAS LONG HAUNTED CREATIVES & INNOVATORS. AND, IT’S TRUE - IN THE SENSE THAT EVERYTHING EVOLVES FROM SOMETHING.
IT’S DÉJÀ VU.
WHEN NOTHING IS ORIGINAL, AUTHENTICITY BECOMES INVALUABLE.*
WHAT CAN BE AUTHENTIC IS OUR UNIQUE COMBINATIONS OF EXISTING PROCESSES, CONCEPTS, AND UNEXPECTED PAIRINGS. THIS IS HOW WE CONTRIBUTE PARALLELS TO EXISTING CANON.
CONSIDER FURTHER : IF WE LEARN OF SOMEONE ELSE ACROSS TIME, WHO SOUGHT A SOLUTION TO A SIMILAR PROBLEM, IT MEANS THAT WE ARE NOW PART OF THE SAME CONTINUUM - OUR DUTY IS TO EXPLORE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE BEORE, THEN CONTRIBUTE OUR NEW EXPERIMENTS AND NEW COMBINATIONS TO FURTHER EXPAND THAT HISTORY, IN A NEW WAY.
TO QUOTE JEAN-LUC GODARD :
“IT’S NOT WHERE YOU TAKE THINGS FROM - IT’S WHERE YOU TAKE THEM TO.”*
3. HONOUR Process
consider the quote : ’The time it takes is the time it takes.’
QUESTION OURSELVES : how and where is time an ingredient in THIS process? how can we apply more patience and space WITH the time THAT things take to come together?
process is NOT ONLY HOW THINGS COME TOGETHER, IT IS THE ACT OF inviting patience and tradition into our practice. THINK ABOUT IT - why do we value handMADE, ARTISAN CRAFT OBJECTS SO DEEPLY? OR HANDSEWN BESPOKE SUITS OR COUTURE GOWNS? why are we SO impressed by hours AND HOURS of TEDIOUS CODING? OR THE BACKSTORY OF EVERY CHEF’S TABLE?
because of the the time invested across every step; the traditions imbued in the quality of work.
AND QUALITY WORK CANNOT BE RUSHED.
SO. WE MINE PAST PROCESSES TO LEARN WHERE TIME IS COMMITTED AND APPLIED AT EACH STEP. AS WE EVALUATE EACH STEp, WE KEEP OUR VALUES UP FRONT AND OUR INTENTIONS INTACT WITH ANY UPDATES OR ADJUSTMENTS WE INTRODUCE.
AND ULTIMATELY, WE LEARN THE PACE AT WHICH THIS PROCESS GROWS AND EVOLVES - MUCH LIKE CARING FOR A PLANT - SO WE CAN KEEP IT ALIVE, WITH RESPECT.
CONSIDER FURTHER : ‘TO REGARD WITH GREAT RESPECT; TO FULFILL AN OBLIGATION OR KEEP AN AGREEMENT’ IS HOW HONOUR IS DEFINED, AS A VERB. WE SHOULD APPLY THIS EQUALLY TO HISTORIC PROCESSES OF HAND INTELLIGENCE, AND TO CURRENT PROCESSES OF CREATIVE BANDWIDTH.
DO WE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF HOW THINGS GETS DONE? ARE WE AWARE OF THE TIME IT TAKES? AND ARE WE BEING RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, IN THE TIMELINES WE PUT IN PLACE - OR WHAT WE ASK OF THOSE CREATING THINGS ON OUR BEHALF?
KEEPING THESE QUESTIONS IN MIND CAN LEAD US TO BEING MORE HONOURABLE IN OUR RESEARCH, AS WELL AS OUR ACTIONS.
4. Find Intention
consider the quote : ’NOTHING WITHOUT INTENTION.’
QUESTION OURSELVES : WHY WAS THIS EVEN CREATED OR DEVELOPED? WHAT WAS THE INTENDED USE/IMPACT?
MOST THINGS ARE INITIALLY CREATED FOR A SPECIFIC, INTENDED USE - SOME FOR UTILITY OR BENEFIT, SOME FOR HELP (OR HARM), AND SOME SIMPLY FOR STORYTELLING AND EXPRESSION.
KNOWING THE STORIES BEHIND WHY AN OBJECT (OR SYSTEM) WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED, CAN BE THE KEY IN EVALUATING HOW TO RECLAIM IT FROM HOW IT’S CURRENTLY UTILISED, OR EVOLVE IT FROM HOW IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED.
THIS RE-EDUCATION CAN INFORM (AND INSPIRE) BOLD STEPS FORWARD.
CONSIDER FURTHER : “THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS.’ THIS MEANS UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTENDED USE OR IMPACT, AND THE EVENTUAL USE OR IMPACT. AND UNDERSTANDING THAT REGARDLESS OF OUR INTENTION, THINGS CAN (AND WILL) BE UTILISED DIFFERENTLY. SOMETIMES THIS CAN BE A GREAT THING - IT EXPANDS THE USE AND GOODWILL OF A PRODUCT OR SYSTEM AND WE CAN EMBRACE AND SUPPORT THSES NEW HABITS.
THIS ALSO MEANS THAT THINGS CAN BE POTENTIALLY USED FOR HARM, AND THIS IS WHERE WE MUST EQUALLY EMBRACE FIRM ACCOUNTABILITY AND TAKE SHARP, RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES. THIS INCLUDES INTERPERSONAL AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE TO WHAT WE INTRODUCE.
NOT BECAUSE IT’S GOOD PR OR ‘GOOD BUSINESS’ - BUT BECAUSE IT IS BEING A GOOD FELLOW CO-HABITANT OF THIS PLANET.
5. Notice Context
consider the quote : ’THE LONE GENIUS IS A MYTH.’
ASK OURSELVES : AT ANY POINT OF ORIGIN OR TIMELINE - WHO ELSE WAS CREATING THINGS AROUND THe same TIME? AND WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON IN THE WORLD?
NOTHING IS CREATED IN A VACUUM; THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON THAT INSPIRES ACTION AND IDEAS. AND IT IS THE RESPONSE TO SUCH EVENTS THAT SPURS PEOPLE INTO ACTION. SO, BY THE NUMBERS, THERE IS RARELY JUST ‘ONE’ CREATIVE PERSON OR RESPONSE.
GREAT IDEAS ARE OFTEN THE RESULT OF A GROUP OF CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS, ALL RESPONDING TO THE EVENTS OR CRISES OF THEIR TIME. AND this IS OFTEN TERMED AS A ‘MOVEMENT’, AN ‘ECOLOGY OF TALENT’, or a ‘scenius’*.
NONE OF US EXIST ALONE; WE ALL HAVE FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF US, AND WE ALL CONTEXTUALIZE EACH OTHER. THE SAME GOES FOR THE ‘GREAT NAMES’ OF THE PAST. THEY HAD FRIENDS AND CONTEMPORARIES WORKING ON AMBITOUS SOLUTIONS FIR THEIR TIMES, TOO.
SEEK THEM OUT.
CONSIDER FURTHER : THIS IS HOW WE FIND THE LESSER-KNOWN NAMES AND ADVANCEMENTS ACROSS HISTORY. THINK OF IT LIKE COLLECITNG VINYL RECORDS - IT’S NOT JUST LOOKING FOR THE CHART TOPPING HITS OF ANY GIVEN YEAR, IT’S ALSO SEARCHING FOR THE DEEP CUTS, REMIXES, B-SIDES AND EVEN ONE-HIT WONDERS OF ANY ERA, FROM MULTIPLE COUNTIRES AND LANGUAGES.
AND AS WE EXPAND OUR REFERENCES AS SUCH, WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF THE WORLD AT THAT TIME - THE MORE SONGS WE HEAR ACROSS LANGUAGES AND LOCATIONS, THE MORE CONTEXT WE HAVE ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THOSE TIMES. IT’S THE DIFFERENT NUANCES OF THE SAME THEMES THAT GIVE US CONTEXT.
6. Question Standards
consider the quote : ’…BUT WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY.’
QUESTION OURSELVES : WHAT CURRENT ‘STANDARDS’ EXIST AROUND THIS PRACTICE? ARE THEY LESS (OR MORE) RELEVANT IN OUR CURRENT CONTEXT?
SOME ‘STANDARDS’ OF DOING OR BEING COME FROM WAYS WE WERE TAUGHT OR CONDITIONED. AND WE ACCEPTED THEM, WITHOUT MUCH THOUGHT - PRIMARILY BECAUSE MANY SCHOOLS AND HOUSEHOLDS CONDITIONED US THAT ‘QUESTIONING’ AUTHORITY OR RULES WAS A ‘BAD’ THING.
BUT QUESTIONING WHAT ‘STANDARDS’ EXIST IS EXACTLY WHAT CRITICAL RESEARCH DOES -
EXEMPLIFIED BEST IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE VIA THE SOCRATIC METHOD.
THIS METHOD WAS SOCRATES’ WAY OF CRITICALLY ANALYSING THINGS, IN AN EFFORT TO DRAW OUT THE BEST IDEAS. THIS METHOD GIVES US A WAY TO CHALLENGE OUR UNDERLYING BIASES AND INVESTIGATE OUR CURRENT STANDARDS FOR RELEVANCY, MEASURED IMPACT, AND WHERE NEEDED, EVOLUTION.
CONSIDER FURTHER : QUESTIONING WHO CREATED OR INFLUENCED THESE STANDARDS, AND CONSIDERING WHO STOOD TO GAIN BY CREATING THESE STANDARDS AND SYSTEMS, CAN LEAD TO UPDATING AND CREATING MORE WELCOMING SPACES FOR CREATIVITY. THIS IS HOW WE WILL GET THE BEST IDEAS BROUGHT TOGETHER - WHEN MORE DIFFERING REFERENCE POINTS AND PERSPECTIVES FEEL WELCOME TO SHARE AND THAT ‘THE OLD WAYS’ WON’T WEIGH DOWN THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.
BECAUSE WHILE ‘UPHOLDING TRADITIONAL STANDARDS’ CAN BE A GREAT RUBRIC FOR MAINTINING A CERTAIN LEVEL OF QUALITY, IT CAN ALSO BE UTILIZED AS A TOOL FOR EXCLUSION OR SUPPRESSION OF GREAT IDEAS THAT WOULD REQUIRE UPDATES, CHANGES, AND EVOLUTION. WHICH ALL REQUIRE WORK.
THIS WORK IS UP TO ALL OF US, IN ALL OF OUR PRACTICES, DISCIPLINES, AND (ESPECIALLY) OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. TOGETHER, THE WORK CAN BE LIGHTER AND MORE ENJOYABLE THAN WE MIGHT IMAGINE.
7. Allow Interpretation
consider the quote : ’There’s more than one way to cook rice.’
QUESTION OURSELVES : WHERE IS THERE ROOM TO INTERPRET/IMPROVE UPON CURRENT STANDARDS?
once we have unpacked the history, considered the parallels, honoured the process, found the intention, noticed the context, and questioned the standards, we have a better understanding that there are many different approaches to the same solutions.
where can we find the room to grow or evolve an idea, a process, a product, a system? those of us in elder generations, how can we make space for new interpretations and trust? for those of us in younger generations, where can we be open to appreciate received wisdom while translating it’s essence in new ways?
it is always a beautiful time to be a bridge between the old and the new.
CONSIDER FURTHER : ‘THE VIEWER COMPLETES THE WORK.’ THE ATTRIBUTION OF THIS QUOTE IS DEBATABLE (TIED TO MARCEL DUCHAMP), BUT HOPEFULLY OUR INTERPRETATION IS NOT - WHATEVER WE WORK ON, THE END USER COMPLETES THE WORK, BY GIVING IT A NEW LIFE IN THEIR HANDS.
ONLY BY THEIR INTERPRETATION CAN WE SEE A REALITY BEYOND OUR OWN VISION, BAD OR GOOD.
ALLOW IT. MAKE ROOM FOR IT. ADJUST ACCORDINGLY. REPEAT.
8. advance RESPONSIBLy
consider the quote : ’…if you want to go far, go together.’
ASK yourself : WHAT IS THE GREATER WORLD I AM APART OF? WHAT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO IT?
WHAT IF WE reset our moral compass - A shift from ‘move fast and break things’,
to ‘move slow and preserve things’.
WHAT IF WE STRIVED TO RESPONSIBLY IDENTIFY WHEN SOMETHING SHOULD BE KEPT AND ADVANCED - MATTERS OF CRAFT AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, THE STORIES OF PEOPLE AND PROCESS, THE LIVING REMNANTS OF LONG LOST, NEVER-WRITTEN SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE…
WHAT IF WE INCLUDED THESE ELEMENTS IN OUR INTERPRETATIONS? WHAT MIGHT THAT LOOK LIKE?
CITING OUR SOURCES, EVERY TIME (AND NOT USING A REFERENCE IF WE CAN’T CITE IT). IDENTIFYING WHAT VOICE IS NOT IN THE ROOM, BUT FINDING AND BRINGING THAT VOICE IN. GENUINELY CARING ABOUT WHERE OUR STORIES COME FROM, AND HOW WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM (NOT DELETE OR OMIT THEM). AND MORE.AND MORE.
WE CAN BE BETTER. LET’S PROVE IT.
CONSIDER FURTHER : A PARTING THOUGHT - IF ‘SUSTAINABILTY’ IS, BY DEFINITION, SUSTAINING OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO CONSUME, THEN WHAT PRACTICES COULD MOVE US TOWARDS REDUCING OUR CONSUMPTION OF THINGS?
SPECIFCALLY - WHAT DOES ‘ENOUGH’ LOOK LIKE?
BECAUSE THE WORLD IS NOT MADE OF ‘US AND THEM’, ‘YOUNG AND OLD’, OR ‘HUMANS AND NATURE’ -
WE ARE ALL INTER-CONNECTED. AND ULTIMATELY, INTER-DEPENDENT. THIS, IS HOW WE ADVANCE IN A TRULY RESPONSIBLE WAY, TOGETHER.
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Find full lecture on ‘The Burntsienna Standards’ at the 2020 LA Design Festival here.
To invite us to speak with your students, design teams, panel or conference, get in touch here.
-brs
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