Updates
October 17th - New review of work from "Telescope" at the Instinct Gallery in Minneapolis. Neel V. Patel writes in SciArt in America
October 9th - Review of "Telescope" at Instinct Gallery. Shelia Regan writes in City Pages.
October 9th - Review of "Telescope" at Instinct Gallery. Shelia Regan writes in City Pages.
Creative inquiry is the process of design research from a design methodology. Pragmatic research is another term that describes the research that does not meet scientific standards and instead is designed to fit the particular contextual approaches associated with design. Without this core understanding some have misunderstood my work as divergent with distinct boundaries of manufacturing, healthcare, design studies, sustainability, IT, photography, fine art, and building technology. However, my work has been consistently focused on innovation and the design process and application regardless of the specific subject matter I have explored. In addition, despite appearances, the core focus of most of the subject matter falls within the realm of sustainability. My work has progressed over time and addresses more cultural, historic and ecological aspects that are fundamental in developing and implementing sustainable conditions.
What I believe is called for is what Tony Fry called, a “redirective” practice. I have used similar concepts of design activism, systems- based thinking, and spatial agency but this is a critical practice addressing what leads us to produce and consume in unsustainable and unethical ways. This is a shift from merely seeking more “sustainable” production that ultimately relies on technology and consumption to perpetuate growth. At times is may be a minor shift but in other ways it is a profound adjustment that is transforming my perspective and work.
I strive to integrate design practice and theory into creative place-making and community-engaged design. You will find in my research summary an overview of how this work is currently developing and the additional projects which I am exploring concerning innovation and design entrepreneurship. However, let me first establish a context for my research and creative activity. Some people characterize design research as borrowing research methods from other disciplines then applying them to subject material that is perceived as part of design disciplines. In such a view design research is distinct from design. In order to be able to design effectively designers are seen as engaging in a more “pragmatic research” process than the “design researcher”. This pragmatic research is usually discarded as merely ephemera in the process of design and not methodical or rigorous enough to be generalizable. Conversely, the designer often eschews the design researchers’ work as not being contextually relevant or applicable. I, on the other hand, often use the term “creative inquiry” as a way to avoid the confusion about what exactly is meant by “design research.”
