Permanent Play

Permanent Play’s set of 50 Element Cards isa small solution, multi-function resource for design & education. Use them for brainstorming, energy-efficient planning, client work, designing from pattern to detail & more – the only limit is your imagination!

100% recycled post consumer waste. Reusable, Recyclable & Biodegradable. Cards manufactured at a factory using electricity 100% generated by wind power. Designed in Essex, made in Albion.

Permaculture Ethics - Part 1

21st July 2013 with James Taylor on Permaculture Ethics by 21st Century Permaculture on Mixcloud

Stefan Geyer interviews me about the permaculture ethics for his Shoreditch Radio show '21st Century Permaculture'.

The Perception of Edges

"Ideally (in my view), learning in art should proceed as follows: the perception of edges (line) leads to the perception of shapes (negative spaces and positive shapes), drawn in correct proportion and perspective (sighting). These skills lead to the perception of values (light logic), which leads to the perception of colours as values, which leads to painting."

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards

#EveryElementSupportsMultipleFunctions

 

Office Planting,  part of a re-design of the desk area in the office where I work. My initial requirements for this space (which is behind me as I sit at my desk) were that it provide me with more 'refuge'*. I felt a bit overlooked in this new open-plan space, which created a mild but constant sense of dis-ease. 

Using plants to form a boundary and decrease overlook (the 'view in' sector) allowed me to achieve some privacy shielding in a way that was allowable within the cultural boundaries of the workplace. As the plants grow, their shielding will increase, but at a rate acceptable to my colleagues.Informal comment suggests that the presence of the plants is more than accepted and actively enjoyed.

The selection of particular plants were chosen for their ability to thrive in a position away from direct sunlight (my desk sits outside the direct sun sectors of the office) and for 'eco-system services' they could provide, largely filtration of chemical pollutants from the air. The newly renovated office space I occupy has been extensively redecorated, including: wall and ceiling painting; new carpet tiles and new furniture. These three alone are potentially sources of off-gassing volatile organic compounds. Glimpses of the cleaning products used in the office also suggests that they may also introduce novel chemistry to the space. In the selection of plants for filtration services I have drawn on the scientific research of NASA published in Nasa Clean Air Study: Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (1989), the subsequent publication by the NASA lead investigator B.C. Wolverton: How to Grow Fresh Air (1996) and the permaculture design 'Improving Indoor Air Quality' presented by Hedvig Murray as part of her Diploma In Applied Permaculture Design.

In the photograph above the following plants are featured:

Dracaena marginata (Common Name:Madagascar Dragon Tree)
FUNCTIONS: Filters formaldehyde, xylene and trichloroethylene from the air; Aesthetics

Hedera Helix (Common Name: English Ivy)
FUNCTIONS: Filters benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene from the air; Aesthetics.

Dypsis Lutescens AKA Chrysalidocarpus lutescens (Common Name: Area Palm)
FUNCTIONS: Filters xylene and toluene from the air; Humidifier; Aesthetics.

Anthurium andraeanum (Common name: Flamingo Lilly)
FUNCTIONS: Filters formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene and ammonia from the air; Aesthetics; Privacy

Although 'privacy' is only listed beside the Anthurium (currently the tallest plant), in fact all of the plants contribute to this function. The privacy functioned has also been levered by the use of the raised wooden tray, which increases the general height of the 'privacy shielding' without appearing as a hard barrier. The tray includes a waterproof butyl lining, soon to be joined by capillary matting and a shell mulch to improve plant watering (this part copies a design by Claire White).

Design with Nature - Ian McHarg

 

Ian McHarg author of Design with Nature was caught on video in 1997 (a few years before his death) speaking about some of  the origins of the design method 'Maps & Overlays'. The short video in two parts below:

Part 1

Part 2

What is Art? - Close Observation

From the Sorted Books project by artist Nina Katchadourian.

SADIM

SADIM Design Cycle

I've been getting really excited about the potential of infographics for improving permaculture communication and generally smartening up course materials. Above is a little SmartArt graphic I made in Microsoft Word to illustrate the SADIM design framework/process/cycle. I wished I discovered how to do this a bit earlier, as it would have made my presentation on Design Frameworks look a lot neater!

The supremo of infographics appears to be Edward Tufte, author of a few great books on the subject. Via his website I came across this great video he executive produced: Inge Druckrey: Teaching to See which is an introduction to observation and design thinking coming from a graphic design perspective.