Poordesign
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Within its original grounds POOR-DESIGN is an ethos. Born from struggle, it is extreme resourcefulness by design. Two organic tree trunks with a two-by-four running across can make a telephone-line post, for example; PVC tubes vertically tied together can hold a home security camera high in place. The logic is straightforward: use what is available; find use in re-fuse.
Unlike the bricolage of hobbyists (or upcycling as pleasure-activity), POORDESIGN is driven by urgency – upcycling because there is no other choice. Its subversive nature thrives on innate, untaught ingenuity, resulting in outputs that are unassuming and charmingly rough; it is raw human creativity on survival mode.
When paired with more traditional design principles, it makes for a dynamic framework: innovative thinking within resource-limited contexts – a crucial tool for meeting basic needs efficiently within economically strained or post-disaster situations.
In more stable or developed contexts, POORDESIGN mitigates environmental impact through the recirculation of discarded materials, while its sustained practice, in promoting mindfulness, can alter our relationship to the land to one of stewardship. From its ubiquity across the Global South and underprivileged areas, we gather its promise: the prospect to reshape how we value natural resources – our planet, our hearts, our minds, and each other.
Ultimately, POORDESIGN echoes the legacy of resilience and continuity at the Bottom, aimed at liberating us from our own harmful disposal-consumption patterns. It's a call to rethink our approach to resources and our desire for newness, embracing sustainability through necessity-driven innovation – will we respond (in time)?
