Future’s Gift Assignment

Initial Process

Interviewing Teresa to learn about her ideal future was a really valuable experience for me. I enjoyed getting to know her and I am happy that this class gave me the opportunity to do so. Going into interviewing her I knew that Teresa is very anti-technology so I kind of had an idea of the direction I was going to go in. We share almost all the same values and hearing about her passion for intersectional feminism really excited me. But I ended up focusing my gift in the anti-technology direction. She said that she would love to live in a society where there is more focus on art, music, and craft-making than capitalism and making money. Her society would be based on pleasures and beauty of life. Work would not feel like work and people would not have to work to live. She also wants a world where manual labor becomes a big part society and we collectively move away from using excess energy — for example she would want to a book to be only a few copies and made by hand each with their own unique qualities. She would be anti mass production of a book. This got me thinking about making her a physical object.

Design Future’s Methods & How They Helped Me Shape My Project

Teresa’s future is almost a mixture of a growth future and a transform future. Social rights are important to her where I think a growth future matches. However, her anti-technology mindset would require a new system of living to get people to go back before the internet + complex machinery became so accessible. I looked into the ARUP societies again and decided to kind of base my gift as if it was in a Greentocracy. The other two projects I did were centered in a Greentocracy as well so I lucked out that I was very familiar with what it all entails.

One of the design future’s methods I didn’t use but wish I did was the CLA exercise. I did this internally but I think it would have helped me more to write it down and actually recognize that I was doing it. CLA is very interesting to me because I feel like I always do it and just never had a real name for it until this class.

The Gift + Delivery

I decided to give Teresa a piece of pottery I made recently. I wanted to make a brand new one but could not find a studio that would let me make one in time. I chose this specific piece because the process of making it is obviously very manual and anti technology. The only technology I used was the wheel to throw it and the kiln to bake it. It is also a one off piece and cannot be mass produced which I felt fit perfectly. I wanted to give her a gift that could be both pretty to look at/ use as decor and also something that can be functional. She use it to hold anything she wants — flowers, pens and pencils, etc. I gave Teresa the gift in person and purposely did not package it for waste causing reasons.

Teresa’s Gift to Me

I absoluetly adored Teresa’s gift she made me. I actually wear the bracelet all the time. I can’t believe she hand made all the beads and the meaning behind it is so beautiful. I think she really looked deep into what I said about wanting a selfless society and created something truly beautiful.

Reflection

I really enjoyed this project. I think it was my favorite one we did during the class. I really enjoyed getting to apply everything I learned in this course and make something tangible. I also love getting to know people better and this project was fun because it felt like I wasn’t making something for a client and rather a friend.