Design meets Evolutionary Ecology

Designing Temporal Ecologies started as a partnership between Design, Environmental Humanities and Evolutionary Ecology research at the University of Edinburgh. An initial project, led by Larissa Pschetz, Michelle Bastian and Ally Phillimore, looked at how phenology research can motivate a design agenda through reflection on data and methods from phenology. We were interested in supporting critical discussions of the effects of climate change on the rhythms, evolution, and interconnectedness of multiple species. 

Phenology data can, for instance provide evidence for how forests are affected by rising temperatures, and how these changes affect fluctuation and variation in the populations of many species of insects. This then has knock on effects on the ecology and evolution of species that depend on them for survival, like birds. This data provides evidence for changes int he temporalities of different species and the potential impact of human action. Phenology can thus promote deeper consideration of natural and natural-social systems and expand current approaches to human-centred and experience design, e.g. by considering designs for the “more-than-human”. Design research in turn can promote greater visibility of phenology findings, promoting public awareness and debate, and therefore greater participation in decisions regarding landscape development and use in the UK. 

The two lead designers in the project, Maike Gebker and Susanne Wieland, have worked with Phillimore’s Group and developed a series of concepts  that consider design approaches in light of evolutionary ecology methods and research.

As part of the project, we also organised an initial Designing Temporal Ecologies Workshop, which included the participation of five designers, five ecology researchers, and five experts in environmental humanities. The workshop resulted in concepts that looked at the complexity of factors involving the temporality of glaciers, flowers, soil and insects. As part of the workshop, we also gathered a series of inspiring references from multiple fields.