Abstract
This second-year ongoing doctoral research explores how participatory design can help rural-based craftspeople add value to their craft practice and balance selling prices against hidden costs, which will stimulate the development of a creative economy and reinforce local cultural identity. This research project aims to: a) contribute to implementing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 11, and 13; b) reform stereotypes surrounding the ‘Made in China’ label; c) develop an effective strategy for rural craft development and sustainability. The need to achieve SDGs is urgent today, as COVID-19, an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, has impacted people’s daily lives by diminishing opportunities, increasing mental health problems and growing inequalities, particularly in rural regions. In this uncertain situation, craft practice has become an alternative approach for responding to present-day challenges, including limited resources, slow-growing economies and sustainability requirements. However, sustainable development research has been primarily urban-centred. Moreover, the studies of design for sustainability tend to concentrate on the evolution of products and production processes. This focus often ignores the tacit knowledge behind objects and people’s needs regarding complex social problems. In these contexts, the value of rural-based craft practice is overlooked in the sustainability transformation process. Additionally, several sustainability studies have taken a Western-centric view, leading to stereotypes about the ‘Made in China’ label. Therefore, in this radically changed world, it is important to identify that what is the role of design in the sustainable development of crafts in rural areas. The qualitative comparative research was employed in this study to investigate in-depth two creative rural communities – Fife in Scotland and Chongming in China. In this regard, Fife is a culturally active rural region in Scotland. Various local craft practices and craft-related events are located in the county. Chongming is also a creative rural region and a world-class ecological island included in the UN’s Green Economy textbook. This study uses multi-sited rapid ethnography and case study methodology to better understand the sustainable development of the craft sector in different cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. In this case, semi-structured interview, participant observation and focus group methods have been utilized to demonstrate the sustainability challenges for craftspeople living in Fife (Scotland) and Chongming (China). At the same time, this research project discusses what local craftspeople need to meet the UN’s sustainable goals. Drawing on the perspectives from participatory design, non-western-centric, and multi-sited approach, the long-term goal of this research project is to eventually expand work beyond the Fife and Chongming to allow others to apply the strategy for other rural-based craftspeople and rural communities. It would contribute to improving rural livelihoods and promoting holistic sustainability through the transformative process of design in craft practices.
Keywords
time-based design, retail space, phygital, social activities, digital transformation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.643
Citation
Sheng, P.(2023) Participatory design for craft sustainability in rural areas: a multi-sited approach, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.643
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
doctoralpapers
Included in
Participatory design for craft sustainability in rural areas: a multi-sited approach
This second-year ongoing doctoral research explores how participatory design can help rural-based craftspeople add value to their craft practice and balance selling prices against hidden costs, which will stimulate the development of a creative economy and reinforce local cultural identity. This research project aims to: a) contribute to implementing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 11, and 13; b) reform stereotypes surrounding the ‘Made in China’ label; c) develop an effective strategy for rural craft development and sustainability. The need to achieve SDGs is urgent today, as COVID-19, an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, has impacted people’s daily lives by diminishing opportunities, increasing mental health problems and growing inequalities, particularly in rural regions. In this uncertain situation, craft practice has become an alternative approach for responding to present-day challenges, including limited resources, slow-growing economies and sustainability requirements. However, sustainable development research has been primarily urban-centred. Moreover, the studies of design for sustainability tend to concentrate on the evolution of products and production processes. This focus often ignores the tacit knowledge behind objects and people’s needs regarding complex social problems. In these contexts, the value of rural-based craft practice is overlooked in the sustainability transformation process. Additionally, several sustainability studies have taken a Western-centric view, leading to stereotypes about the ‘Made in China’ label. Therefore, in this radically changed world, it is important to identify that what is the role of design in the sustainable development of crafts in rural areas. The qualitative comparative research was employed in this study to investigate in-depth two creative rural communities – Fife in Scotland and Chongming in China. In this regard, Fife is a culturally active rural region in Scotland. Various local craft practices and craft-related events are located in the county. Chongming is also a creative rural region and a world-class ecological island included in the UN’s Green Economy textbook. This study uses multi-sited rapid ethnography and case study methodology to better understand the sustainable development of the craft sector in different cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. In this case, semi-structured interview, participant observation and focus group methods have been utilized to demonstrate the sustainability challenges for craftspeople living in Fife (Scotland) and Chongming (China). At the same time, this research project discusses what local craftspeople need to meet the UN’s sustainable goals. Drawing on the perspectives from participatory design, non-western-centric, and multi-sited approach, the long-term goal of this research project is to eventually expand work beyond the Fife and Chongming to allow others to apply the strategy for other rural-based craftspeople and rural communities. It would contribute to improving rural livelihoods and promoting holistic sustainability through the transformative process of design in craft practices.