As Indigenous and non-Western knowledges become more widely included in design and environmental practice, there is a risk that existing knowledge hierarchies are unintentionally reproduced. In this Transformations Talk, the concept of epistemic crafting is presented as an approach that values different ways of knowing and understanding the world.
Drawing on ideas from epistemic justice, political ontology, and design practice, the talk explores how design can help people engage with different perspectives and knowledge systems. Rather than focusing on problem-solving alone, epistemic crafting views design as a collaborative process of shaping and sustaining multiple ways of being and knowing.
By emphasizing relationships, humility, and attentiveness, epistemic crafting offers an approach to design that supports more just and sustainable futures while making space for diverse and sometimes conflicting worldviews to coexist.
Participants: Manuhuia Barcham, Associate Professor of Interaction Design, Faculty of Design & Dynamic Media and Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada.
A limited number of vegetarian lunches will be available from 11:45. These will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The seminar is open to researchers, students, and staff.
Speaker
Manuhuia Barcham,
Associate Professor of Interaction Design, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Canada