Design Observer :: Join the Discussion http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/ en-us Design Observer Group 2010-04-18T20:50:07-05:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0
Christopher: Yes, I think you've identified the major challenges as ones that emerge from the inherent contradiction between the needs and effects of global consumption, particularly transportation of material and goods, and those of sustainability. We don't have enough models to learn from for the latter, but those we do have, like Edo-period Japan, demonstrate the importance of local communities monitoring the environmental effects of their activities and reducing or modifying them when it becomes necessary. I hope that incentives similar to Free Trade for coffee can help provide a natural economic motivation for residents to protect their environments. It doesn't look easy though.


Bridget: Yes, the global economic system has done a lot to compensate for the different degrees of habitability of various regions. I can live in a fairly inhospitable environment, like the desert of the US southwest, and eat tropical fruit, water my lush lawn, and buy Italian shoes. It's remarkable and marvelous in a way, but it's clear that this system has stressed most of our environments in unexpected ways. I'd like to argue that we'd need to give up very little by reconfiguring our production and transportation processes to be less destructive to the environment, and that economically marginalized groups stand to benefit the most. I recommend reading Lester Brown's "Plan B 4.0" for data and inspiration:
http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/books/pb4

Steven: I don't know where you live, but both Europe and North America have wonderful traditions of architectural joinery, timber frames assembled without nails. Those traditions had died out by the late 19th century though, and were very difficult to revive in the late 20th century because there was no continuity. The Japanese tradition has continued into the present, though it has dwindled to the point of near-extinction. It is certainly a tragically diminished craft.

Guy: Lately the Japanese have latched onto the idea that their culture is like the Galapagos: many wonderful developments that do not interact with or influence the outside world, and that probably could not survive there. It's not just secrecy, it has a lot to do with the very specific and demanding expectations people here bring to every sphere of life. But bear in mind that in the postwar period the rest of the world has found enjoyment and satisfaction from using Japanese designs of all sorts to a degree our great-grandparents would have found unbelievable. A big question for Japan now is whether or not original Chinese designs will be able to gain a similar following in the West, and the cultural and economic implications of that. The Chinese have certainly taken the quantitative lead in manufacturing; will the younger generation of Chinese designers be able to leverage that to stimulate a global taste for their own designs? From where I sit it looks like it could happen.

Robin: You're right, for the most part, and I think my article agrees with you as well. But since the collapse of the Japanese bubble economy in the early '90's, consumer prices in Japan have plummeted -- mainly because of the wide availability of less expensive Chinese goods. The export imperative was made easier to implement by the culture of frugality here, but was not the cause of it.

Horvaard: My book deals with the Edo period, from the 17th to mid 19th centuries. At the beginning of that period widespread deforestation was making it extremely difficult to build cities, plan defensive works, and was damaging watersheds with large negative effects on agriculture and the use of rivers. This deforestation was reversed and replaced with well managed regenerative forestry throughout the country. At the time of the Second World War, however, much of the nation was deforested again. It was quickly reforested in the postwar period, again largely with monocultures of economically valuable sugi (Japanese cedar). But many of these forests have been left unattended for decades, and there are grassroots movements in some regions to transition them to the kind of mixed forests that existed long ago.

Leni: Good to see you here! I think you appreciate the same thing about temporal activities in Japan that I do, namely that they are constant reminders of the importance of paying attention to our surroundings and how our environment supports our lives.

18Vienna: I sometimes think that our habits operate under the same law of entropy as does the physical world: it's easy for us to "devolve" to a state of lower energy and attention than it is to make ourselves more careful and alert. Maybe there is some sort of mental exercise that can make it easier.]]> Azby Brown http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-18T20:50:07-05:00
I believe the effects of the industrial revolution has manifested itself in many ways and in all our cultures. It is inevitable and even harder to ignore that a change in attitudes and values is imperative for long term sustainability. However it is a hard lesson to learn for we are often short sighted and creatures of habit.

Your insightful article and the positive responses it has garnered, led me to believe we just might be getting there . Looking into the past or rediscovering the natural world for inspiration, is proof of a desire for change. A long haul but an important one.



]]> 18Vienna http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-16T09:13:30-05:00 Fantastic that Design Observer/Change Observer allows us to meet again.

Let me note, my area of study in Japan, may dovetail in some ways with Azby's wonderfully well wrought essay.

Temporal activities create a kind of permanence in Japan through seasonal festivities, everyday rituals and codified traditions. For example, the Ise temple is dismantled and an exact replica is rebuilt every 20 years. Gravel gardens are raked daily decade after decade.

Perhaps this reverence toward passing time also contributes to the exquisite, sparing, detail-orientation of craft and daily life. ]]> Leni Schwendinger http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-12T23:11:11-05:00 hovaard http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-11T20:51:55-05:00 Robin http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-09T10:34:14-05:00 Jean-Philippe http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-09T09:54:11-05:00 Guy Keulemans http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-09T06:24:50-05:00 willy http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-08T17:01:31-05:00 Steven Mandzik http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-04-01T09:26:36-05:00 Bridget Marsh http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-03-31T16:34:07-05:00 jonathan yuen http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-03-31T09:37:51-05:00
Contemporary design may not be able to achieve much in this quest if it remains tethered to inherently unsustainable economic practices.

]]> Christopher Calderhead http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-03-30T14:23:39-05:00 michael hsu http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/bent-by-the-sun/12958/#comments 2010-03-30T14:03:30-05:00