TY - JOUR

T1 - Planting and Tending Digital-nature Hybrids in a Walled Kitchen Garden

AU - Edwards, Elizabeth Ruth

AU - Coulton, Paul

AU - Darby, Andy

AU - Chiasson, Mike

N1 - © 2017 The MIT Press

PY - 2017/7/5

Y1 - 2017/7/5

N2 - This paper presents various digital-nature artifacts that were designed to support visitor engagement with nature in a public garden environment. We refer to these artifacts as hybrids, as an acknowledgment of their combined digital and physical characteristics. Although selections from critical theory guided initial aspects of the inquiry, we examine here how a research through design (RtD) approach and attending the Research through Design (RTD) 2015 conference affected our subsequent design practice—notably, in relation to iterations of the artifacts. The paper discusses our RtD practice and the hybrid artifacts’ place within it. In particular, we reflect on the ways in which each design iteration in the RtD process revealed knowledge about materials, values, engagement, and place. Although we wrote this paper collaboratively, only the first author attended RTD 2015. Thus, the sections addressing the experience and influence of the conference are written based on the experience only of the first author, although the conference undoubtedly subsequently affected each of us through the research.

AB - This paper presents various digital-nature artifacts that were designed to support visitor engagement with nature in a public garden environment. We refer to these artifacts as hybrids, as an acknowledgment of their combined digital and physical characteristics. Although selections from critical theory guided initial aspects of the inquiry, we examine here how a research through design (RtD) approach and attending the Research through Design (RTD) 2015 conference affected our subsequent design practice—notably, in relation to iterations of the artifacts. The paper discusses our RtD practice and the hybrid artifacts’ place within it. In particular, we reflect on the ways in which each design iteration in the RtD process revealed knowledge about materials, values, engagement, and place. Although we wrote this paper collaboratively, only the first author attended RTD 2015. Thus, the sections addressing the experience and influence of the conference are written based on the experience only of the first author, although the conference undoubtedly subsequently affected each of us through the research.

KW - Research through Design

KW - digital-nature artifacts

KW - value-led design

KW - digital interpretation

KW - public gardens

U2 - 10.1162/DESI_a_00452

DO - 10.1162/DESI_a_00452

M3 - Journal article

VL - 33

SP - 65

EP - 78

JO - Design Issues

JF - Design Issues

SN - 0747-9360

IS - 3

ER -