Entangled Materialities: Riikka-Latva Somppi, Maarit Mäkelä, Kristina Lindström & Åsa Ståhl — BICCS Conference / FormAkademisk

Latva-Somppi, R.; Mäkelä, M.; Lindström, K.; & Ståhl, Å. (2021). Entangled Materialities: Caring for soil communities at glass industry sites. FormAkademisk - research journal of design and design education, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.4180

This paper discusses craft and design practices through their impact on the environment. We consider how to act concerning the consequences of the craft and design industry. Also, we reflect on the agency of our field of practice in changing how we perceive the environment. We present three case studies of the European glass industry sites in Sweden, Italy and Finland, where we study contamination of the soil with participatory, speculative and craft methods. Through these cases, we reflect on our role in soil communities and ask how we may act in them with responsibility, hope and care. We conclude by proposing to act locally, to share our practices and make them visible, expanding our situated, personal skills and knowledge towards the political.