Abstract
This paper investigates what it means to notice in practice. Carrying out field research situated on the edge of the River Taff, Cardiff, we interrogate what it means to notice through a more-than-human centred lens. We arrive at ‘noticing’ as a method from two different perspectives: ethnography and design. Utilising concepts from assemblage theory, deep time thinking and technological entanglement theory, we extend upon scholarly interpretations of noticing through autoethnographic accounts. Our choice of non-human participant (i.e. a river) forces us to consider more-than-human temporalities, geological time and the longue durée. We think about the ways in which technology disrupts our ability to be present and fully commit to ‘river time’. Similarly, we unravel subconscious hierarchies of knowledge and the urge to rely on scientific understandings. Finally, we reflect on our own noticing as a method alongside the ethics of engaging a non-human participant.
Keywords
More-than-human, Temporalities, Noticing, Ethnography
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1056
Citation
Breen, D., and Stevens-Wood, K. (2026) An autoethnographic account of noticing in practice, through a more-than-human centred lens., in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1056
Creative Commons License
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Included in
An autoethnographic account of noticing in practice, through a more-than-human centred lens.
This paper investigates what it means to notice in practice. Carrying out field research situated on the edge of the River Taff, Cardiff, we interrogate what it means to notice through a more-than-human centred lens. We arrive at ‘noticing’ as a method from two different perspectives: ethnography and design. Utilising concepts from assemblage theory, deep time thinking and technological entanglement theory, we extend upon scholarly interpretations of noticing through autoethnographic accounts. Our choice of non-human participant (i.e. a river) forces us to consider more-than-human temporalities, geological time and the longue durée. We think about the ways in which technology disrupts our ability to be present and fully commit to ‘river time’. Similarly, we unravel subconscious hierarchies of knowledge and the urge to rely on scientific understandings. Finally, we reflect on our own noticing as a method alongside the ethics of engaging a non-human participant.