The Voice of the Environment

In short

A proposition to help people in general, and designers and change makers in particular, to enter into an intensive dialogue with the more-than-human.

A dialogue with the environment involves expanding our ways of learning and developing knowledge. It is about learning by learning from the more-than-human, things themselves. This means an open-ended process that focuses on the relationship. In this process different sensory, embodied, and artistic ways of radical listening are being used, that ask for intuitive and bodily perception.

Facilitator guide
Group of 10-20 participants
This process needs a facilitator.
Reflecting is an inseparable part of the learning process.

Hold the Space

Be available in a non-judgmental, non-cynical way, and open to new ways of learning and developing knowledge.
Participate in the process.
To reflect in groups, make sure you have enough privacy. Provide an extra seat for the environment as a whole.

Time-frame:

1 hour in total
Introduction: 5
Embodied exercise: 10
Exploration: 25
Reflection: 20 minutes

Process:

a) Introduction – Why do we need to expand our ways to learn and develop knowledge?

For example:

“Good afternoon.

Thank you for being here.

My name is [xxx] [tell something about what brought you in this position].

The PIMDI practice stems from the paradox of democracy: the more different people, the more different views, the harder it is to hear, appreciate, and honor all voices. PIMDI is about meeting people’s differences, hearing, acknowledging, and accepting differences. And about finding a way to make these differences fruitful.

Today we will not look for the differences between us humans but ask about more-than-humans. Animals, plants, our habitat. Non-living ‘things’ too. We do this to make us more aware of our relationship with our environment. Our influence on our environment. So that we can also give these other things a place in our democratic decision-making.

So.

We are going to put ourselves in that ‘more-than-humans’ shoes: who is that other: where does he or she come from, what has he or she experienced, how is he or she doing, what does he or she want, what are his or her wishes, tendencies?

In short: I invite you to an encounter with this environment. By environment, I mean everything that is around us. That could be the built environment, an unbuilt one, or a park around here. And much more of course, but we can’t walk to that in this hour.

How are we going to do this?

First, I’ll take you through an attention exercise. Then wander.

Explore individually and in silence.”

b) b. Attentive and embodied listening – exercise.

Exercise

1. I invite you to pay attention to your senses.

What do you see?
What do you hear?
What do you smell?
What do you taste?
What does your skin feel?
What do you feel with your whole body?

2. Now stand together in pairs.

Turn your backs to each other, with a foot length in between.
Become aware of your own back.
Feel towards the other’s back.
Take a step forward. Stay in contact.
Take another step forward. Keep feeling.
Experiment with spacing. How much distance can you take and keep feeling the other person?

3. Find the space.

We start with half a minute of silence.
Pay attention to the words and images that come up, and your facial expressions [points to head].
Pay attention to your emotions [points to heart].
Pay attention to your physical feelings (examples), the gestures, and the posture you want to adopt [points to upper body] and do this too
Follow your impulses to move or act [points to feet and hands].
Magnify the tendencies you experience in your body. If you want to stand, do so.
If you want to jump, do so, high. And again and again and again.
If you feel the need to lie down: lie down. Until you feel another need arise. And if that doesn’t happen, lie down even heavier. Feel through. Put your weight in, and open up your skin.
Discuss 3 minutes in threesomes.

c) Exploration – Propostion

“Wander through the space [name environment] and encounter this environment.

I ask you to bring back a thought – image – emotion – feeling – gesture – a movement that stands out.

Does everyone have the time? We will meet here again at 2.45 pm. Remember you still have to walk back.”

d) Facilitate Reflection

Facilitate sharing of experiences and try to see what differences have appeared and what new themes about the history and the future of this environment emerge, a narrative maybe?

In principle (how do you relate your practice to brave space?):

Braveness is in accepting feelings as a source of knowledge. Especially when working with designers with a background in engineering.

Possible variations:

If you have more time, you may consider an additional 3D prototyping session (+ 45 minutes)

Provide a large piece of paper to write on, a table, and any collection of small materials to build with.

Test the future you see for the environment, the whole system, by building a 3D map, using random materials on a table. Ask people to represent the more-than-humans in the making. Work silently.

Reflect (together) after the building, by asking the following questions:

What is the main structure of the 3D map you created? What does it represent?
What are essential elements? And what do they represent?
What does not fit?
Where is potential?
Adapt until all agree.
Record the result.

Connection to PIMDI:

The PIMDI practice stems from the paradox of democracy: the more different people, the more different views, the harder it is to hear, appreciate, honor all voices. PIMDI is about meeting people’s differences, hearing, acknowledging, and accepting differences. And about finding a way to make these differences fruitful. This practice is about the differences between us humans and more-than-humans; animals, plants, our habitat, non-living ‘things’ too. This is to make us more aware of our relationship with our environment. Our influence on our environment. So that we can also give these other things a place in our democratic decision-making.

Author: Carry Rosenblatt Limpens

Perceiving