It Matters What We Think and Do
Collaborative research project and interactive installation around participatory climate responsibility with scientist Frank Selten at the KNMI as part of the Collaborations For Future project facilitated by Foundation We Are.
role: designer, developer, concept, workshop facilitator, production
In 2023, I was selected to participate in a pilot program that would match designers together with climate scientists to see what they could do together given a 9-month research and development trajectory. I was matched with Frank Selten of the KNMI, and we embarked on a journey of learning about each other's practices and exploring what we could do together.
Together with Frank, we decided to focus on looking into KNMI's responsibility towards the climate crisis by inspecting it's internal and external operations, its sustainability standards and protocols as well as the approach that employees have towards climate neutrality in their work within the organization. We ran a survey called "KNMI Klimaat Neutraal" and organized a colloquium that would explore these questions using participatory design strategies with all employees of the organization.
We concluded by producing an interactive installation for the Dutch Design Week: "It Matters What We Think and Do. Het Maakt Uit Wat Wij Denken en Doen." is handed to exhibition visitors in the form of a randomly generated receipt, presenting them with a fact around the climate crisis and prompting them with a question to respond to together on the receipt itself. Receipts were then handed back to the exhibition and responses were displayed, creating an ongoing conversation amongst visitors around their shared responsibilities in the climate crisis.
All technical and graphic material was produced exclusively using self-made or appropriated Free and open source software and hardware, challenging the notion that design must be facilitated by the tools and software ecosystems provided to us by Big Tech. This includes a custom-built receipt generator.
