The pluriverse brings forward the idea that reality is not singular but inherently plural (Anderson, 2021). We all coexist on one planet, and on this one planet, there are many hidden worldviews and various realities for individuals due to our individualistic differences. The idea of the pluriverse shows that all individuals experience our world differently: how they know reality, many ways of being in the world, and having different understandings. The formation of the pluriverse comes from our understanding of historical, ecological, and societal grounds that individuals live on or their ancestors have experienced (Anderson, 2021).
Unlike the modern patriarchal-capitalist design approaches that focus and design to cater to the ‘dominant’ design culture of the developed Western world, the pluriversal approach links to non-modern design practices and knowledge as well.
Pluriversal design aims to promote inter-cultural ways to go about design. This approach brings together multiple perspectives, especially from those who are commonly excluded by the mainstream design narratives (Noel, 2022). Rationality is an aspect of pluriversal design thinking, keeping in mind the relationship between all individuals and the environment surrounding us. Pluriversal design supports the collectivist culture and caters to the needs of the wider group rather than an individual. From doing this, individuals gain benefits, and the impacts are reciprocated between all parties involved. Unlike modern design frameworks, pluriversal design operates horizontally, where all members taking part in the process are on the same level, and there is no sense of hierarchy, hence bringing a strong sense of co-design processes as well.
The pluriverse supports:
Self-determination / Autonomía
Tino rangatiratanga
Sovereignty
Relationality - Colectividad - Reciprocity
Interconnections
Horizontalidad - Nonhierarchical
One key aspect to design for the pluriverse is design communication and strategies. This means changing designs for positive outcomes and transforming our world using appropriate design tools. It is also important to bring attention to transition narratives and acknowledge the theories, knowledge, and practices of pluriversal studies. When designing for the pluriverse, designers bring forward the transition narratives from the global North, South and Regional studies.
A pluriversal design approach is well paired with speculative designs. Speculative designs aim to create change for our future and its potential scenarios. For speculative designs to bring about the greatest potential of impact, it is important to take a pluralistic approach to the design process. When designing, considering the pluralistic world, especially those who tend to be oppressed in modern design approaches, allows more individuals to experience and participate in shaping our future. Since speculative designs are open-ended and up to each individual's interpretation, considering wide ranges of world views and knowledge around our potential future scenarios will be fabricated with greater knowledge. Taking a pluriversal approach to speculative design is an inclusive way to shape and design for everyone's future, rather than catering to specific demographics. Hence better target our goals and design for the future that suits all individuals of all identities. Incorporating a range of cultural, ancestral, and traditional knowledge will benefit the formation of speculative design processes. We may tend to believe and want technology to create a better future. But, in reality, our past ancestors from many locations have learned to live happily in harmony without the use of technology. Using this knowledge, we are more open to a range of possible designs that will shape our future.
“Reconnecting with ancestral and traditional knowledge may
be our chance to ensure a healthy planet (Noel, 2022).”
Case study - Buccaneer Archipelago Marine park
A newly planned Marine Park amongst a group of islands called the Buccaneer Archipelago (Near Western Australia) is a case study of a critical/speculative design with a pluriversal worldview. This marine park surrounds the waters to protect species such as humpback whales, sea turtles, coral, and dolphins.
New WA marine parks give Traditional Owners chance to protect Country and culture (Nit, 2022)
Reece Whitby (Western Australia’s Environmental Minister), Tony Buti (Aboriginal Affairs Minister), and Don Punch (Fisheries Minister) wanted to target the issue around the lack of management and protection of lands and marine life, as well as to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage (Nit, 2022). This park has been co-designed by members of the Australian government with the traditional owners of this land, the Bardi Jawi Garra. This design shows the consideration of the pluriversal world and inputs the Bardi Jawi Garra’s traditional knowledge and skills. Using indigenous knowledge at the core of this marine park design allowed great handling of the land, animal, and heritage protection. The pluriversal co-design process allowed significant cultural areas, heritage, and marine life to be restored, maintained and appropriately planned for modern uses such as recreational and commercial use.
By incorporating the pluriversal approach, the design has benefited majorly in the long term. Marine parks are about commercial businesses that want their environment to be protected and maintained in the long run. Considering the traditional knowledge of the Bardi Jawi Garra benefits from this design as their knowledge supports the industry's sustainability.
WA marine parks creation hailed as ‘benchmark’ for
Indigenous co-design (Torre, 2022)
“They know the land, and it’s part of them, so they can take a real
role in managing, particularly for the future (Nit, 2022).”
Not only will they maintain their strong sense of identity and place of cultural heritage, but visitors of the marine park can learn about the culture and carry their practices and knowledge to future generations, hence passing on the ability to incorporate this knowledge into other speculative designs in our future.
The approach of pluriversal design challenges the ideas of speculative design as speculative design commonly takes in western and modern worldviews that are more appropriated by the mainstream population. Speculative designs tend to use western knowledge and design for future scenarios of the mainstream population, but doing this will not significantly impact our future. This pluriversal case study puts forward the idea that it is crucial to incorporate pluriversal studies, transition narratives, and design strategies to create long-term change for our future and maintain that change.
References:
Hannah Barry. (July, 2022). Three new marine parks announced for Buccaneer Archipelago in WA's Kimberley region. Abc. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-31/wa-government-announces-new-marine-parks-buccaneer-archipelago/101282452
Giovanni Torre. (August, 2022). WA marine parks creation hailed as ‘benchmark’ for Indigenous co-design. Nit. https://www.nit.com.au/new-wa-marine-parks-give-traditional-owners-chance-to-protect-country-and-culture/
Nit. (August, 2022). New WA marine parks give Traditional Owners chance to protect Country and culture. Nit.
Lesly-Ann Noel. (2022). Pluriversal Design SIG. Design research society. https://www.designresearchsociety.org/cpages/sig-pluriversal-design
Amaya Querejazu. (2016). Encountering the Pluriverse: Looking for ALternavties in Other Worlds. Scielo brazil. https://www.scielo.br/j/rbpi/a/3pnFKpXVxnqS4vs5jBPwJXv/?lang=en
Greg Anderson. (July 16, 2021). The realness of things past: ancient Greece on ontological history. https://blog.oup.com/2021/07/have-humans-always-lived-in-a-pluriverse-of-worlds/
Tobias Revell. Five problems with speculative design. https://tobiasrevellworkalong.blogspot.com/2019/04/five-problems-with-speculative-design.html?m=1
Rudy De Waele. (2020). Conscious Leadership [Image]. Conscious Learning Tribe. https://www.consciouslearningtribe.com/category/consciousness/conscious-leadership/
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