normy

What is a “sustainable life” and for whom is the “sustainable life” sustainable? These questions guide the research project “Critical design to identify norms in the sustainability discourse” where design is used as a process to understand and challenge existing norms surrounding the concept of sustainability and sustainable lifestyles. How are “sustainable lifestyles” reproduced in different types of media and what are the consequences of this in relation to achieving behaviour change.

Through a norm-critical approach, these discourses were examined with the intention to expose gaps in accessibility, understanding and possibilities for change for different groups of people. The project's interdisciplinary research group produced discursive design proposals, i.e. prototypes that can be used to spur discussion rather than propose solutions, which in different ways explore alternative ways of acting on the climate crisis in relation to everyday life, and thus reduce the distance between insight and action.

Within the interdisciplinary team my role was to make prototypes for the research group that can be used to spur discussion rather than propose solutions.

The project is implemented by KTH – Royal Institute of Technology and Konstfack, University of Arts, Crafts and Design with funding from the Swedish Energy Agency.

Project Team:

Karin Ehrnberger; Project leader, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Loove Broms; Researcher KTH and Senior Lecturer at Konstfack University. Pernilla Hagbert; Researcher, KTH. Emma Börjesson; Fil. Kand Stadsvetenskap. Souzan Youssof; Service designer, Usify. Lovisa Grönlund; Service designer, Usify. Camilla Andersson; PhD student, Aalto University. Hajar Sedequi; Designer. Malin Björklund; Designer. Tankesmedjan Global Utmaning

Visit the digital exhibition at Global Utmaning's website