Designing for Life Affirmation
Kånken Breath – a Living, Breathing Backpack
A Life Affirming take on Kånken Classic, Kånken Breath is a Living Artefact that, through the photosynthetic microalgae printed on the hemp fabric, is able to purify air as it moves through the world. It is based on Kånken Classic’s pattern, removing the front pocket and adding a removable bottom of stronger hemp fabric for added durability.
If the whole world consumed at Denmark’s current rate, we would need 4,2 Earths’ worth of resources. In 2023, Stockholm Resilience Centre noted that we have already crossed six of nine Planetary Boundaries globally, leaving us simultaneously on the cusp of a crisis that will lead to collapse, and giving us the opportunity to intervene for the benefit of planetary and collective human health.
This project proposes a new path to help facilitate the transition towards a brighter future: Designing for Life Affirmation. Designing for Life Affirmation is an emerging practice I have developed, moving beyond Human Centred Design, Designing for Life Affirmation dissolves the notion of centering humans in decision-making. Emphasising the affirmation of life at its core, Designing for Life Affirmation embodies a deep-rooted appreciation of the interconnected, reciprocal relationships that make up ecosystems. While related practices like Regenerative Design and Biomimicry exist, Designing for Life Affirmation as a distinct practice has not been established or codified prior to this project. For this reason, I have developed a set of principles for Designing for Life Affirmation, which can be studied on my website.
Using Copenhagen Fjällräven backpack users as a case study, this project explores Life Affirming Artefacts as disruptive innovation. Harnessing the rich potential of vernacular and novel biomaterials, Life Affirming Artefacts foster reciprocal relationships of care, interdependence, and intra-action through everyday interaction. What novel social and cultural practices might be cultivated that could bridge the gap between our present and a Life Affirming future?
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