4 week online practical introduction to regenerative design!

Introduction to Regenerative Design - October Tuesdays

Curious about regenerative design, art that remediates soil, living systems, and creative practice during the climate crisis? Join us for a 4-week introductory seminar exploring a series of different making methods and interventions within the regenerative design movement. This workshop series will provide you with recipies, techniques, demos, and entry points to bringing regenerative design into your work or practice.

This weekly online series offers a foundational overview of key concepts, materials, and living systems that are redefining how we think about design and innovation. This series is fully online to provide access to students based outside the UK.

Each class is designed to be around 1hr with time at the end for material and project Q&A.

All sessions are recorded so you can participate synchronously or asynchronously.

Schedule

October 6th – 7–8:30 PM BST / 2–3:30 PM EDT / 11 AM–12:30 PM PDT

October 13th – 7–8:30 PM BST / 2–3:30 PM EDT / 11 AM–12:30 PM PDT

October 20th – 7–8:30 PM BST / 2–3:30 PM EDT / 11 AM–12:30 PM PDT

October 27th – 7–8:30 PM BST / 2–3:30 PM EDT / 11 AM–12:30 PM PDT

Week 1 – Introduction to Regenerative Design

Explore the core principles of regenerative design through key concepts and real-world case studies. We'll learn about what is going on at the cutting edge of regenerative design and the key debates within the movement. This will be the only lecture heavy class in the sequence. There will be optional readings from key texts that regenerative designers, systems thinking, and living material practice to draw from.

Week 2 – My Sculpture is Fertiliser

In this class we’ll look at fertilisers we can make at home and natural binders to shape them into sculptures. Many sculptural installations are designed to be disposed of at the end of the exhibition. We’ll make and explore sculptures that decompose in place and add nutrition back to their ecosystem.

Week 3 – Remediation: Myco and Phyto

Mycoremediation (remediation using mycelium) and phytoremediation (remediation using plants) are gaining traction as strategies for cleaning up contaminated soil and water. In this class we’ll explore the basics of each remediation strategy, how to apply it to our own local areas, and build creative practices around each process. We’ll end looking at the basics of experiment design to test the success of our remediation intervention.

Week 4 – Introduction to Living Systems

Invasive species damage ecosystems and can also be used as a material waste stream. We'll start with how to identify invasive plants, why they vary by region, and how to remove them responsibly. Then we'll cover processing, dehydration, and simple methods for making paper with our invasive species.

Whether you're a designer, artist, scientist, or simply curious, this seminar will give you an introduction and entry points to many different kinds of regenerative design practices!

Meet your Instructor

Kirsten Tingle is a biodesigner and artist specialising in mycelium fabrication and regenerative painting. She is a mycelium researcher and lecturer at Lifefabs in Camden, and frequently guest lectures on biodesign philosophy and practice across the UK and Europe.

Kirsten was a 2024 grant recipient from The British Mycology Society, an artist in residence at The Francis Crick Institute, and holds a masters in Biodesign from Central Saint Martins.

https://www.kirstentingle.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kirstentingle

Description supplied by the event organiser.