Abstract
In this paper, we discuss process-oriented and craft-based design practice as an educational approach, and propose it as a context for acquiring experiential knowledge within design. We examine the extent to which such design practice is informed by its context and entanglements, as well as the learnings that arise from them. Interviews with five participants from a university course in a bachelor’s program in Design and Technology (teacher training) trace experiential and cognitive processes that allow us to understand the informing qualities of the entanglements that may arise. Bodymind and practice inform each other and form the context for entanglements with people and matter, which in turn evoke notions of pasts and futures, as well as values and structures. The resulting experiences, insights, relations, and objects are interwoven across multiple dimensions and influence one another in various directions. We show how participants transfer their embodied experiences to broader contexts, thereby engaging personally with social and political issues. We frame craft as a regenerative practice that serves as a means of building more-than-human and human relationships, generating knowledge, experiences, and values that can support eco-social change.
Keywords
Process-oriented, Craft-based, Regenerative, Experiential Knowledge
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.347
Citation
Hirscher, M.,and Posch, I.(2025) From Experience to Insight: Entangled Learning in Craft-Based Design Practices, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.347
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 11 - Culture and Craft Design for Regenerative Practices
From Experience to Insight: Entangled Learning in Craft-Based Design Practices
In this paper, we discuss process-oriented and craft-based design practice as an educational approach, and propose it as a context for acquiring experiential knowledge within design. We examine the extent to which such design practice is informed by its context and entanglements, as well as the learnings that arise from them. Interviews with five participants from a university course in a bachelor’s program in Design and Technology (teacher training) trace experiential and cognitive processes that allow us to understand the informing qualities of the entanglements that may arise. Bodymind and practice inform each other and form the context for entanglements with people and matter, which in turn evoke notions of pasts and futures, as well as values and structures. The resulting experiences, insights, relations, and objects are interwoven across multiple dimensions and influence one another in various directions. We show how participants transfer their embodied experiences to broader contexts, thereby engaging personally with social and political issues. We frame craft as a regenerative practice that serves as a means of building more-than-human and human relationships, generating knowledge, experiences, and values that can support eco-social change.