Designing Dublin: Learning to Learn

We spent an incredible week with the legendary KaosPilots. With their culture of play, freedom and fun, the pilots brought with them a new way of learning. For the five days that we collaborated with them, they taught us about process design and challenged us to start seeing things differently.

The KaosPilots’ visit had a profound effect on many members of the Designing Dublin team. Sometimes chaotic, often times challenging the KaosPilots brought their own unique energy to the project that has helped shape us as a group.

On Thursday night, we were delighted to be able to celebrate Guinness’ 400th birthday with them. To Arthur! — and the KaosPilots.

In the back:
Lauren, Maje, Paul, Eilish, Kristen, Sophie, Jeremy, Ken, Kristen, Eimear, Daniel, Brian, Rachel, Celine, Thijs, Vannesa, Luke, Aileen, Susan, Geert, Deirdre, Emmanuell.

In the front:
Marcos, Jens, Nicholas, Emma, Anniken, Daniel, Nicki, Sarah, Deirdre, Peter, Jim, Nathanial.

» Emmanuell » Eilish

During our collaboration with the Kaos pilots their original processes they had designed in Aarhus were developed and implement on the unsuspecting public of Clongriffin. These processes were designed around 9 questions that Designing Dublin prepared for the KaosPilots; based on the initial research Designing Dublin did in Clongriffin the week before.

In the previous post, we talked a little about processes — what they are and how they work — and gave an example of a process designed by Susan, Sarah and Jens. But there were many more processes designed and here, we would like to talk a little more about them.

Clongriffin was? Clongriffin is? Clongriffin will be?
Prototype: Postcards

This process involved making blank postcards with specially chosen images on the back (eg. basket of fruit, picture of a beach, vegetables). Residents of Clongriffin were asked to imagine what the area would be like in 10 years time and invited to write a postcard to a friend telling them about their experience. This processes produced powerful and inspiring stories.

» Celine » Rachel » Peter

How do we increase the vibrancy of experiences and encounters?
Prototype: Outdoor living room

This group ran the Living Room project on the main street of Clongriffin. The single strongest request from feedback with the people of Clongriffin was for a social space, as there is currently no café, pub or community center. This process created a prototype of a public social space which surprised and engaged with the people using the main street.

» Eimear » Susan » Jens

How do you open up and connect Clongriffin?
Prototpe: Drawing/Expressing

This group asked children in the local primary school (St Francis of Assisi) how they moved around Clongriffin. The children (aged 4-6 and 10-12) were invited to visualize and draw how they might like to see themselves move around in the furture. The work was exhibited as part of the Café project in the evening.

» Nicky » Sophie » Jim

How can we reinvent spaces into places?
Prototpe: Café/Exhibition

This process engaged with the children in the local primary school (Educate together). The group asked children to re-imagine spaces around Clongriffin. Children were given photographs of spaces around Clongriffin and asked to re-imagine them using collage and colour. The finished work was then displayed in an open space on the main street. The results were extraordinary. A mixture of children, teenagers and adults came to the exhibition, interacted with one another and produced more of their own artwork.

» Peter » Lauren » Emma » Maya

How do we enable expression, talents, experiences, activities, beauty, love/joy?
Prototype: Giant newspaper

This team created a Giant Newspaper named theThe Clongriffiner which they then moved around various spaces in Clongriffin. The process enabled Clongriffiners to express their experience and understanding of the area.

» Nathaniel » Luke » Marcos » Aileen

How can we facilitate cross cultural exchanges?
Process: Discussion

Designed a process to engage Clongriffiners in a deep discussion about cultural exchange in Clongriffin and ways in which cultural exchange can be fostered.

» Eilish » Thjis

How can Clongriffin invent and utilise new economic opportunities?
Process: Discussion

Engaged a group of people from Clongriffin in a discussion about the potential economic assets in the area and how Clongriffiners could empower themselves more economically. To focus the discussion, the team used the metaphor of an engine, which they had prepared as a drawing on a piece of paper. During the course of the discussion Peter, Emmanuel, Ken and Brian filled this image with words and phrases they heard during the discussion.

» Peter » Emmanuel » Ken » Brian

How do we turn the passion that’s in dispute into passion for the future?
Process: Metaphor/Discussion

For this process, Daniel had designed a visual piece which involved three walls. This team invited people from Clongriffin to talk about some of the issues they were experiencing. The information was then harvested and written up on each wall.

» Daniel » Deirdre

How do you help people understand the potential of the environment of Clongriffin?
Process: Walking tour

This team asked a group of professionals to visually express alternative uses for spaces as part of a walking tour of the hidden spaces in Clongriffin.

» Jeremy » Rachel » Geert

How it works

1. Everyone stands in a circle
2. Each player passes an invisible ball of energy from one person to the next (using the methods shown above) and shouting Block or Yoga Flame! or Sonic Boom.
3. If you get it wrong and you have to die horribly!

What is an energizer?

Street fighter is an energiser or game. This is an idea introduced to us by the KaosPilots. The concept of energizers is central to the philosophy of the KaosPilots. If and when concentration levels are low a call is put out to the group for an energizer. It is a moment to blow off steam and re-engage your brain.

How is this useful?

Many large companies regularly engage in energisers of this kind. The marketing section in Pringles, for instance, use the concept of unexpected fun secretly scheduled into peoples diaries. What would happen if energizers of this kind were common practice in offices across the country? Would national levels of productivity plummet or soar?

» Eilish

The KaosPilots arrived in week 3 and brought with them 9 processes which they had designed. But even as they stood up to present their designs most of the Designing Dublin team were still asking themselves: what exactly is a process?

The moment of enlightenment for me was when I was actually asked to collaborate in designing a process. I learned that a process was a method of engagement that encouraged people to open up and express themselves more freely. For example: One process that was designed by Susan, Sarah and Jens involved setting up an outdoor living room on Clongriffin’s main street. This method of engagement attracted encounters that might otherwise never have happened and allowed for discussions that enabled the team to learn more about Clongriffin.

There were 9 essential questions that Designing Dublin felt needed to be asked in order to proceed with their project.  These questions had been formed as a result of the initial research Designing Dublin did in Clongriffin the week before:

1. Clongriffin was? Clongriffin is? Clongriffin will be?
2. How do we increase the vibrancy of experiences and encounters?
3. How do you open up and connect Clongriffin?
4. How can we reinvent spaces into places?
5. How do we enable expression, talents, experiences, activities, beauty, love, joy?
6. How can we facilitate cross cultural exchanges?
7. How can Clongriffin invent and utilise new economic opportunities?
8. How do we turn the passion that’s in dispute into passion for the future?
9. How do you help people understand the potential of the environment of Clongriffin?

» Eilish

The morning that they KaosPilots arrived—and after personal introductions and our introduction cakes—Designing Dublin team members and the KaosPilots were asked to each pick up an object in the room. We were then given 3 minutes to collaborate and create a sculpture which represented our aspirations for Clongriffin. Then the hard part: we had to explain it! This informal method of engagement allowed us to discover many different interpretations of Clongriffin, and revealed some interesting methods of expression contained within the group.

When we were discussing the sculpture we decided that there were certain things about our sculptural (masterpiece) which did not clearly express our thoughts. We were given a further 2 minutes to change it. The effect our discussion had on the second iteration was clearly visible. Sculpture No.1 was very tight and fixed; sculpture No.2 was much more fluid and expressive.

» Eilish