CO-CREATION

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CO-CREATING SPACES: THE TAG PROJECT
by BEAYUE LOUIE

KEYWORDS

co-design, design constraints, interactive
textiles, children, learning disabilities,
participatory design, sustainable thinking,
systems

ABSTRACT

This article examines how participatory
design strategies can serve as an effective
tool when working with multiple design
constraints. Emily Carr University of Art +
Design students were asked to collaborate
with children with special learning needs
to create a textile-based product from

reclaimed fabric that endorsed sustainability

among both the users and the designers.

Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School (KGMS) is an independent school that specializes in teach-
ing children with dyslexia and learning disabilities. Owned and operated by The Society for the
Education of Children with Specific Learning Disabilities, KGMS employs the Orton-Gillingham
teaching method, which favours visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic cues. [2] In 2010, KGMS
relocated from Burnaby, British Columbia to its present location in North Vancouver, BC.

Second-year design students from Emily Carr, working in pairs, were asked to create an interactive
textile-based artifact or system that would encourage sustainable practices within the KGMS
community. Each team was matched with a group of three to four Division 6 students from KGMS,
who would serve as co-creators on the project. The resulting design would be gifted to KGMS and
its students for implementation in their school.

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

Prior to this project, the majority of our design briefs have been directed towards theoretical users
and allowed for “blue sky” ideation — designing without limits. In order to gain practical experi-
ence, we were challenged to apply our knowledge and skills to a set of complex, real-world issues
that contained multiple non-negotiable parameters. Working with users with very specific needs
and limitations, we were asked to use participatory design techniques to create a product that not
only encouraged sustainable practices, but considered such practices in all facets of the produc
tion process as well.

The project was subjected to numerous constraints. Our product had to:

* be made from reclaimed Sheerfill II-HT fabric (a fiberglass and polytetrafluoroethylene

* composite) from Canada Place’s former roof, donated by Re-Fab Vancouver;

* — use only textile manufacturing techniques;

* not exceed 2 square metres in size;

« be made of repetitive elements;

* emphasize dynamic relationships;

* be geared towards children, factoring in ergonomics, safety, functionality and durability;
+ take into consideration the learning needs of the KGMS students.

METHODOLOGY

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH. In order to present sustainability to the students in tangible, accessi-
ble terms, we elected to focus on environmental issues that were common to our region. Given
KGMS’ proximity to the Burrard Inlet, we narrowed the initial scope of our research to environ-
mental issues related to water, such as consumption, conservation and marine debris.