Thesis: ReRooting Together
A master's thesis project exploring regenerative land practices and material potential for collective futures, situated in the Scottish region of Moray. The local intervention saw opportunity in self-actualizing systems for community co-development.
Abstract
Why do some people engage in climate positive practices while others don’t? Why do some have a co-reliant relationship to land while others are afforded disassociation? There is a societal disconnect based in privilege, global exploitation, and competition. Society is constrained by the designs of those in power and so we forget that what is made can also be un-made. Turning to the collective strength of our communities, a bottom up approach to community development poses an interesting speculation: what does a future look like where collective action and mutual benefit bring people into cooperative co-existence?
This thesis looks to alternative economic models for community co-creation and equity investment. The proposed service outcome is a slow, citizen led and self actualizing system that re-frames positive behavioural change in regards to land, material surplus, and resource allocation. By empowering people’s autonomous participation as interdependent contributions, framed through mutual benefit, we find infinite potential for human innovation.
Material Practice: part of my process was to survey the land, observe and understand the potential of material and practice, collect samples, hear local stories, and then experiment with those materials in my own way. My material artefact comes from a process of collecting raw wool from various herds of sheep and alpacas, hand washing them, and then pulling the roving into strands. The roving was then woven into a tapestry reminiscent of the highland landscape.
