How Japanese Design Principles Can Inspire Makers and Makerspaces Towards a Circular Future
In a world striving for sustainability, makers and makerspaces are uniquely positioned to contribute to the transition towards a circular economy. By combining hands-on innovation with cultural philosophies, the communities can foster sustainable and circular design practices that redefine the meaning of consumption and production. Japanese design principles—rooted in tradition and holistic thinking—offer insights and inspiration that makers and makerspaces can apply to contribute to circular actions and initiatives.
A Circular Economy: A Call to Action
The circular economy envisions a future where waste and pollution are eliminated, materials are circulated at their highest value, nature is regenerated, and—crucially—a meaningful life is redefined with less consumption. Over the years, we have seen how many makers have proven to us that they are able to see and appreciate the value in resources and materials. Often, they even see the resources in a light and discover new potentials.
In this blog post, we’re using five japanese philosophies i.e. Aikido, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi, Sashiko, and Kansha to highlight how these might be considered to become a more active and explicit part of makers’ and makerspaces’ practices and work on nurturing creativity and sustainability even more.
1.Aikido: Understanding and Overcoming Overconsumption
Aikido, meaning “way of integrating the spirit,” teaches us to understand our opponent’s strengths before gaining control. In this case, the “opponent” is overconsumption. The true challenge related to transitioning into a more sustainable and circular system, lies in addressing the human desire for novelty and convenience—a significant driver of waste.
Potential actions for makers and makerspaces:
– Think about how you can guide the members in creating products that satisfy (real) user needs without encouraging unnecessary consumption.
– Facilitate workshops where the participants can learn and understand more about consumption patterns and how design can help counteracting overconsumption.
– Promote the projects that focus on circular strategies such as repairability, modular designs and emphasize durability over e.g. disposability.
- Wabi-Sabi: Embracing Imperfection and Aging
Wabi-Sabi celebrates imperfection, impermanence, and the beauty of natural aging. In a circular economy, this principle challenges the notion that new is always better, encouraging makers to truly embrace patina as well as wear and tear in their creations.
Potential actions for makers and makerspaces:
– Host classes on designing emotionally durable products that gain character with age and where storytelling can be incorporated in the product.
– Encourage makers to apply aging and wear and tear into their prototypes as deliberate features rather than flaws.
– Highlight examples of projects that have transformed aging materials into something valuable and unique and tell a story.
- Kintsugi: Repairing with Artistry
Kintsugi, or “joining with gold,” transforms broken items into beautiful, repaired artifacts where “flaws” are being embraced. It exemplifies how repair can be an act of creation and art rather than a mere fix.
Potential actions for makers and makerspaces:
– Establish a repair cafe where community members can fix broken objects using visible and artistic repair techniques. Exhibit examples of how this can be done.
– Partner with local artists to offer Kintsugi-inspired workshops, teaching participants how to repair ceramics and other materials creatively.
– Design initiatives around celebrating and showcasing repaired items, encouraging a shift in perception toward repaired goods as valuable.
– Make sure to incorporate repair guides with the products so users have the necessary guidance to perform repairs themselves.
- Sashiko: Visible Mending as a part of our identity
Sashiko, a traditional Japanese textile repair method, turns mending into an art form. Visible repairs on clothing and fabrics become a statement of individuality and sustainability.
Potential actions for makers and makerspaces:
– Organize visible mending sessions where members can bring textiles for repair, learning sashiko techniques to create unique patterns. As always, there are plenty of useful videos with tutorials out there to help you get started.
– Collaborate with e.g. fashion designers to explore how visible mending can be integrated into modern clothing.
– Introduce a lending library of tools and materials for textile repair, making sustainable practices more accessible. Make beginner guides for people so it is easy to get started.
- Kansha: Practicing Gratitude
Kansha, or “gratitude in action,” encourages us to value what we have and to use resources responsibly. For makers, it means creating with intention and respecting materials.
Potential actions for makers and makerspaces:
– Foster a culture of gratitude by hosting reflection events where makers can share stories about meaningful projects as well as resources and products they appreciate. Think about how the stories could be documented and made visible to a wider audience – both within as well as outside the makerspace.
– Think about how to initiate a material and component donation system, where members are encouraged to e.g. reuse, upcycle or repurpose resources creatively.
– Host workshops that emphasize the environmental impact of material choices and promote the use of reclaimed or more sustainably sourced materials.
– Educate makers in how materials change over time and how to actively work on caring and maintaining them over time aiming to prolong their lifetime.
A Circular Future Driven by Makers?
Japanese principles like Aikido, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi, Sashiko, and Kansha offer more than just philosophical insights; they provide actionable strategies for makers and makerspaces to inspire and actively work on what circular economy really is about – a complete change in (over)consumption patterns and fighting against the tendency of underappreciation of resources and products. By embracing the Japanese values, makerspaces can help inspire and contribute to a shift in mindset aiming to influence industries and communities to design products and initiatives that can help create a more meaningful life with less consumption.