Designing products through the lens of the material landscape

Abstract

Recognizing the value of and working with the material landscape extends well beyond the array of materials products are made from. The material landscape encompasses a broad range of considerations, such as attachments people have with objects, people’s experiences with objects, the relationships objects have within a setting, and technological aspects related to objects. This paper advances knowledge about the material landscape and industrial design through literature summaries and a series of three learning activities created specifically to support students to learn about their individual and collective material landscapes. The three aims of this paper are to: (1) outline, define and expand upon the nature of material landscapes based on literature and theories from cultural geography and material culture; (2) characterize the ways that people interact with their material landscapes; and (3) highlight how material landscapes can support novice design students to evolve from being consumers to becoming designers. Along with describing three learning activities, the results of this work provide details about the material landscape including the concepts of attachments, identify formation, collecting objects and curating objects.

Keywords: Attachment, Collecting, Consumption, Cultural Geography, Curating, Design Education, Identity, Material Culture

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005113