在抽象世界中创造意义——为生活注入设计灵感

Design for Life:Creating Meaning in a Distracted World

Good morning，everyone.It's wonderful to be here and thank you for the invitation.As my self-introduction，I'm the professor，or designer of sustainability，mainly product design，not fashion design.So what I focus on is the object，the factory products，and design for sustainability.And I hope what I'm going to say will be applicable across the broad-area design，not just object design.So，in this presentation，I'm going to talk about my research approach in which I looked at the relationship between human values，sustainability and the forms of tradition and localization.

So，I'm going to begin by contrasting Modernity，it's about innovation，change and consumerism，which is well-known as very under-sustainable，with all traditional practices saying that many ways can form the contemporary ideas about sustainability.

I'll talk about what how we might learn from these traditions，and we might develop a different approach to design.And I'll finish by showing you some examples of my owndesign work.

This is what we do to the natural environment.We dig up the earth.We pollute the air and the oceans，and we have been doing these since the Industrial Revolution.This is modernity，which is rooted in scientific advancement，technology and consumerism.To drive a consumption-based economy，we have to control the Earth.But instead we talk of it，in terms of resources，for economic growth.In effect，we have an instrumentalized planet，I come to see it，and something to be exploited，for monetary gain.And we call this，“progress”.In the name of it we consume many things，that we don't actually need，and we create wastes through plastic packaging and short-live products，we create a world of trivial novelty and endless choice.It's exceedingly harmful，they also represent a crisis of values.It's reducing the quality of the environment，and our own quality of life.And it's compromising the ability of the earth to sustain healthy forms of life.Perhaps，more than anything，modernity represents a loss of meaning in our lives，this is the so-called a disenchanted world view.We are all consumers，always waiting for the next thing，the next mobile phone upgrade，the next broadcasted movie，the next fashion trend.But we're not always living this way，this is a product of modem era.Before this，we have lived a sustainable balance with the Earth.When we are in the time of Modernity，we have become materially rich，but spiritually impoverished.

Pre-Modernity tended to be spiritually rich，but there is no doubt also，that compared to today，there was material hardship.Somehow，we have to find the old balance we have formed.We'll have fewer material expectations by reducing our exploitation of the Earth.And in the process，we find ways of living that are spiritually richer and more fulfilling.Pre-modern，more traditional ways of living are generally characterized by rather different values，and the quite different world view.Let's take a look at how this different sensibility affects the nature of human actions，and the way people have for centuries to satisfy their material needs.

This is the example of the West Coast of Canada.Here the first nation's people carried out sustainable forestry practices.Here we can see，the bark is taken off from one side of the tree only，and it will be used to weaving baskets.The practice doesn't kill the tree，but in time the tree will heal itself.Very similar practice was implemented by the indigenous people in Australia.Here we see，red gum trees on the banks of the Murray River，their bark will be removed for canoe making.Traditional ways of thinking and doing are considerably different from modern sensibility.They tend to involve the sense of beauty and responsibility，not just to others in their community，but also for the teaching of knowledge and wisdom.This sensibility nourishes the common sense of identity，culture and continuity，and it enhances the sense of spiritual wellbeing，and sense of purpose and significance（Fig.1）

In Victor de Sousa's UMA LULIK，the documentary about the traditional sacred house，the villager says，“We didn't come up with the wish to build this house.It is a wish preserved from ancestors”（Fig.2）.

Fig.1

Fig.2

The woman in this picture，she is practicing the ancient craft of harvesting and weaving.She's dealing with this golden-colored fabric.She was taught by her grandmother，who learned it from her mother.But she says that her daughter will have to continue this tradition so humankind can benefit from it（Fig.3）.

And in England，very close to my own home，a shepherd expresses the same statement.“Some people's lives are entirely their own creation.Mine isn't.The flocks remain，the people change over time.Someday I will pass them on to someone else”（Fig.4）.

In these examples，we have seen that，all around the world，such practices are not aware of individual choice.There is a sense that one has to continue the tradition from the old people，that is a duty to one's culture，one's community，and one's own sense of identity.This concept is different from individualism:put emphases on personal choice，which we find in modernity.Our challenge today is to develop new creative ways or the combination of the sense of belonging responsibility and identity we find in traditional cultures，with the capabilities and benefits that have been developed in modern times.We'll go on to go back to pre-modern times，where we can learn from the traditional practices to develop a new outlook that brings together traditional and modern perspectives.In terms of the making opportunity of culture，they passed on the traditional methods from one generation to the next.These methods will be renewed over time，but during its change or development，it tended to be slow.People are suspicious about the innovation because if things went wrong，they could find themselves in awful danger，they would be lack of food or shelter.So，they would like continuity rather than change，and while there was less choice，they would have a great sense of dependent on community，and have deep knowledge of local conditions，which they had the best interest to look after，because they survived on the local knowledge.

Fig.3

Fig.4

After the Industrial Revolution，we are in modern times.And we have worldmarketing economy，consumerism and globalization，but also，unsustainability，because of the consumption and advanced science and technology.We might expect modern approaches to prevent environmental crisis，this is called ecomodernism，and it's coming smoothly into our current system.Companies and politicians like it more，however，the potential to contribute significant and long-lasting change is limited，it can be counter-productive with the old same systemof consumption growth and waste.

So if we want to tackle the problem of sustainability，we have to develop a different outlook.We have to develop a way forward the old system from the traditional ways of knowing.In attempt to integrate the benefits of pre-modern and modern times，we develop a new world-view，which I called after-modern，it's rather different from post-modern.

Traditional philosophical spiritual teachings from Plato and the Bible in the West and Confucius'thought in the East，always talk about human values.They are concerned with how we should live in the world，how we should regard material possessions，how we should behave towards one another，how we should regard the Earth，and on the personal level，how we should live，if you are finding some degree of happiness and fulfillment.Thesethoughts are very ancient and their meanings are motivated，we cannot apply these methods into inductive reasoning.

Heidegger distinguished the thoughts into scientific knowing，which concerned prediction and control，and social ways of knowing，which is concerned with values，beliefs，and experiences.When we talk account of human experience，it does not refer simply to the experience of one individual，but an accumulating heritage of the human experience.Recognize in the contribution by those who came before us，it's fundamental to tradition，and it's embedded in the spiritual teaching（Fig.5，Fig.6）.

Fig.5

Fig.6

Rather than implying the methods of science，more appropriate approaches to comprehend the ancient thoughts is the interpretive method.When dealing with texts，especially traditional spiritual texts，the interpretive method is used as hermeneutical circle of understanding，the rotates between the hole and individual parts.In the case of a text，we cannot understand the meaning of the part unless we understand the whole，and we cannot understand the whole until we understand the individual parts.A similar situation is encountered in the process of designing，or any creative activity.We consider the whole and the individual parts and keep moving between the two.There are generally four levels of interpretation that is quite traditional in teachings.Let's gofrom the Literal，through the Moral，and the Allegorical，to the Anagogical，or the spiritual meaning.As we are moving through these，we can get close to a deeper understanding of all the great tradition.

So here，we find the anagogical level，the spiritual level，whose values transcend social cultural differences.These are known as self-transcendence values for yourself.They are concerned with the things like welfare for others，stewardship and natural environment，respect for the tradition，customs，including the spiritual or religious practices.But this heritage has been eroded during the process of Modernity:in the 18th and 19th centuries，withtheir pragmatic individualism degraded and corrupted the psychological heritage of axial man.The post-war growth in consumerism has further degraded this heritage.And the recent rise in personal digital device is affecting us as well.

Modernity，has emphasized philosophical materialism，individualism and consumerism，which is built on the market-based system that full of greed，dissatisfaction and fear.And it tended to foster the self-enhancement or selfregarding values，such as social status，achievement and personal success，material wealth and the pursuit of pleasure and power.Significantly，these are all oriented towards extrinsic or external goals and rewards.

But today，in the self-transcendence values，we focus more on traditional teachings，practices，localization and sustainability.They are all intrinsic goals，or internal goals or rewards，such as seeking excellence and finding satisfaction in one's world.Through the interpretation，we may have further understanding of traditional teachings and practices，and make it relevant to the present.The ability of designing is also interpretive.Self-transcendence values can link to cultural relevance from conventional design practice.

Praxis is theaction based on reflection that changes the situation for the better.Conventional design practice is a means to primarily commercial ends.In contrast，praxis is concerned with the wise determination of ends，and it's the means of attaining those ends.It's been proved in scientific approaches because it integrates actions with values and beliefs.Praxis also consciously resists or interrupts the“hegemonic status quo”.In conclusion，we can say that Progressive Design Praxis is a form of design practice that aims to change the situation for the better by striving to interpret，understand and apply the ethical values and notions of virtue found in the philosophical and spiritual traditions of one's own culture.I'd like to introduce the progressive here，is to make progress gradually in the present condition.

Progressive Design Praxis transcends empiricist theories of knowledge，it dominated the contemporary thoughts in a period，and still dominates today.It challenges the prominence of theory，recognizes that the reason cannot solve contradiction，and raises the significance of practice.

To translate this kind of praxis into design actions，we can do this from the practical level.To provide functional benefits，or also take into consideration of the environment-friendly designs.We can consider the social meaning，and we can also concern the personal meaning，in terms of spiritually well-being，or personal values.We also have to consider the economic means.Economic is the mean to achieve the other three，and it is not an end of itself So，these are the Quadruple Bottom Line of Design，we can show the relationships between them like this:these factors are not in competition；they all need to be addressed together.If we only have a look at the practical meanings of design，we will see a narrow world.If we also focus on the social meaning，then we have a wider perspective，which will make us more influential in the latemodernity period today.But if we focus on personal and spiritual meanings，our design activities will be far more comprehensive.When we're implementing the Quadruple Bottom Lines of Design，we're actually building expertise over our own lifetime.So，we start with the practical level，on the bottom left of the diagram，but as we move through time，we also move upwards，go higher with our inner consideration.We start to reflect what we are doing and turn it into self-transcendence values，then we start the critique of consumerism，and then we start to critique the worldview.And we begin to change our priorities，so we make different design decisions（Fig.7）.

I've been doing this kind of work，exploring these ideas over many years and It'll be finished by showing you my explorations which I attempted to embeded the values，sustainability and nature into our material culture.So，let's have a look at some of these objects.They're not commercial objects，but practicebased design research.They start off at the practical level，making incremental changes.I started off at the practical level many years ago，making this kind of design，and reuse the material（Fig.8）.

We often think of design of sustainability as being a long-lasting product，so this is the exploration of one series which looks for ephemerality，objects that come together for a while to make a function then it becomes distributed back into the environment after they're used.

So，moving up a level to inner reflection and questioning the current condition，there is a design for a mobile phone few years ago，it's an inconvenient mobile phone，it's reasonable for its inconvenience which is about addictive use.Inside the package，there are a bunch of parts，if you want to use it as a phone，you have to assemble the parts，and you pay attention to your phone calls and messages，and then you take it apart and put it back，so that it won't interrupt you when you are walking down the streets or in conversation with someone else.It won't distract you from where you are，then you have single point of attention when you have the phone call，and then put it away.And it has many variations on that，from the most inconvenient，the most upgradable，and the most sustainable aspects，there's various other are options that are the most convenient but also the least sustainable（Fig.9）.

Fig.7

Fig.8

Fig.9

This is an object which basically，just literally，ties together the technology with the natural environment to create an object that combines the two to remind ourselves that these psychological objectscome from the natural environment，and when they have been used，and go back to the natural environment（Fig.10）.(www.xing528.com)

Fig.10

Then we move up to another range，the critique of consumerism.To create a 100%sustainable product，we should focus on the issue that modernity is basically ignored，which is spirituality.Here are prayer stones，they focus not on utility，but spirituality.Here's another one.This is an object for transreligious.This object means that there is some little light coming through the narrow gate（Fig.11）.

Moving up again to our critique of the worldview.These are visual statement using the same kind of techniques of object design but to make visual statement of our current condition.

Fig.11

This one is called“last supper”.I take this idea literally because we're consuming the Earth（Fig.12）.

This is called“beyond words”，the transition to modernity with the emphasis of word，and the emphasis of intellectual knowing.It causes intuitive apprehension and the spiritual way of inner knowing.It is explicit knowledge，descriptive knowledge，and intellectual knowledge（Fig.13）.

This is about the digital culture，digital slavery of your life，being shackled，wherever we are climbing the mountain，walking on the beach，we are never really there because we are connected to“there”，like iPhone and other similar devices（Fig.14）.

This is called Oedipus eyeglasses.Oedipus is about an existential crime by killing his father and marrying his mother and having children with her.This is called an existential crime because it can never be repaired and you can never make good again.And the punishment for the existential crime is selfblindness.And we today are creating an existential crime，we are destroying the Earth，and the punishment is our own self-blindness in doing that（Fig.15）.

This piece is called neophobia，the commodify cures for the illness of consumerism.About the consumerism，whatever the issue，it can find a way of selling something to you.Even the problem that the consumerism is creating，it can make a product and sell it back to you.In the jars，we can see different senses，so this is the cure we buy back to cure the problems created by the consumerism，like William Davies said，“Our anxiety is their revenue opportunity”（Fig.16）.

Fig.12

Fig.13

This is water of modern history.At first glance，the water looks beautiful.It looks like spring water，rain water，mineral water，well water，island water，and canyon water.But if you see the small letters on the top，you can see that they're silent spring，acid rain，conflict mineral，fracking well，three-mile island and torrey canyon，all the environmental disasters.So the modern history of water has another kind of commodification，in these bottles，and contamination（Fig.17）.

So moving up again，the critique of the worldview.I have been done this journey，we then come back to objects of use，objects of utility，we've been through that journey（Fig.18）.

Fig.14

Fig.15

Fig.16

Fig.17

a return to objects of use towards holistic design

embracing tradition，minimizing impacts

Fig.18

Here is a floor lamp，which combines the technical with the natural.Those components can be very easily separated，which go back to the natural environment without any other effects，and the technology can be reused easily，because the technology wasn't designed for this particular lamp（Fig.19）.

Fig.19

This is the desktop version for the lamp，using the same idea（Fig.20）.

This is chess set.Only in left we see the traditional，pre-modern chess sets in 1849，which we can see the king，the queen and other images.In this version of 1923，the modernist Bauhaus made this chess set without the concept of hierarchy.It's a very wonderful example.In this Balanis chess set，I tried to combine both the traditional design and this modem design（Fig.21）.

Fig.20

Fig.21

Fig.22 is called rhythmical objects.In this kind of objects，they are making the process，using the process，and there are relations to spiritual activity.

So in the making of these objects，and in using these objects，there's a rhythmical，physical activity，which is conducive to meditation and contemplation.Here are some examples（Fig.23）.

The final concept is called seeds of change，which allows us to see what is right before our eyes in a new way.You will realize too late that wealth is not in banking accounts.Thank you for your attention！

rhythmical objects contesting‘originality’，innovation，newsness

making linked to well-being，nature，locale and tradition

Fig.22

Fig.23