Abstract
Despite recognizing the profound relevance of Indigenous knowledges to the relational turn, few posthuman design researchers elaborate on the considerations and implications of working from these rich sources of insight for material practice. In this paper, I develop an attention to the Indigenous relational framework of Right Relations in design from the perspective of studentship, considering how Indigenous ethical frameworks might be engaged with from the position of a non-Indigenous person. Building on insights from my own research experience in foraging for design materials, I use narratives to exemplify part of what attending to Right Relations in design implies. I articulate these implications through lessons learned in my studentship: prioritizing relationship over skill, reconciling working cycles to Mother Earth’s, and respecting the histories and original peoples of the lands where materials hail from. These practices position a view of relational design that increases dialogue across posthuman design and decolonization, works to uproot systems of colonial industrial capitalism in material practice, and highlights a need for a post-secular paradigm in posthuman design.
Keywords
Right Relations; Studentship; Foraging; Decolonization; Posthuman Design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.35
Citation
Tarkhanian, S.(2025) Attending to Right Relations in Design: Lessons from Foraging, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.35
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Attending to Right Relations in Design: Lessons from Foraging
Despite recognizing the profound relevance of Indigenous knowledges to the relational turn, few posthuman design researchers elaborate on the considerations and implications of working from these rich sources of insight for material practice. In this paper, I develop an attention to the Indigenous relational framework of Right Relations in design from the perspective of studentship, considering how Indigenous ethical frameworks might be engaged with from the position of a non-Indigenous person. Building on insights from my own research experience in foraging for design materials, I use narratives to exemplify part of what attending to Right Relations in design implies. I articulate these implications through lessons learned in my studentship: prioritizing relationship over skill, reconciling working cycles to Mother Earth’s, and respecting the histories and original peoples of the lands where materials hail from. These practices position a view of relational design that increases dialogue across posthuman design and decolonization, works to uproot systems of colonial industrial capitalism in material practice, and highlights a need for a post-secular paradigm in posthuman design.