After recent feedback on my branding for Nature In from my tutor and my peers, I have iterated it to provide more of a contrast between the colours so that the logo can be seen more clearly.
I have also created some other logo options, introducing orange and shapes into the colour scheme to bring energy and excitement to the branding, as Nature In is aimed to be engaging, dynamic, fun and innovative.
I have also tried to take on the feedback of making my branding more exciting, fun, and engaging by including oranges and shapes in my initial community content and headers.
Due to the distributions on the first day of the event and then also issues with the light and noise present in the canteen area the event was held, there was low participation in the event. Subsequently, there is only a small amount of evidence collated to analyse.
Analysis and Evaluation of Outcomes:
Conversations:
The majority of participant interactions were interesting conversations with people intrigued by the event. These conversations predominately led to exchanges of contact details to keep in touch and to look to collaborate on future work, which was very exciting and valuable.
Feedback from Conversations with Participants:
Fine art student – 4D she was intrigued by the use of projections the event and took a video of it. She really liked the natural imagery from the peak district.
Graphic designer – interesting thought for her how to include nature into her work and bring it into other practises of her life
architecture – she was interested in utilising it in her work but less so something she is super passionate about- she would be more interested if a client wanted it then she could use the resources to find out more about natural design.
Materials and deisgn MA student – looking how different materials can be utilised to replicate nature
performance arts student – using the rave scene as a method of communication for integrating cultures loves the projections of nature and thinking of it in that way – wants to look to collaborate to utilise similar projections of nature in her work – but she is less focused on sustainability
Industrial designer student- wants to get in touch about collaborations, loved thinking how to fuse ideas of nature and humans together in the city space, really enjoyed watching the projections as she ate. She also recommends i look into the artist – Moon Ribas who exhibits how earthquakes impact humans through movement and dancing.
narrative environments student- really interested in my project, she looks at how to communicate stories in a new way and environment. Her friend on her course is really interested in bringing nature and forests to people after covid with people still staying in she wants them to get outside and so she is going to pass my email onto her friend to look at working together in the future! She also really enjoyed the wind noise as she felt it made her really feel like she was in the space.
What I learned:
People enjoyed the video content and found the natural imagery engaging and relaxing
The video was thought-provoking in making people think about nature and when spoken to how they could include nature in their work. Perhaps to get the point of how to include nature in their work across to more people I could have displayed a poster by the video showcasing that very question.
Paper Sheets and Google Forms Questions:
However, despite offering QR codes to google forms of questions and displaying questions on large sheets of paper for people to write thoughts around, there was very little uptake in these activities. I had only 3 participants write feedback on the sheets and lots of this was one-word answers such as ‘peaceful’ and ‘relaxing’.
Perhaps I should have handed out bookmarks with the google forms QR code on the tables before people sat down so that they could answer the questions as they watched the video. Good thought if I do an event in similar circumstances in the future.
Feedback from Google forms:
What I learned:
The video helped people to feel the benefits of integrating with nature – peaceful, comfertable, calm and relaxed
The video provided insporation to include nature in work/ projects – thinking of developing pattern inspired by nature
People said they wished to visit other natural events and that it provided a small escape from the busy world of city life london.
These key takeaways suggest the event was a success in achieving its aims of showcasing the benefits of nature and how to include nature in city spaces in innovative and engaging ways, also in provoking ideas to include nature in professional work and building the Nature In community. However, the limited participants in the event do limit the success of these outcomes.
Online Nature In Communities:
I also promoted my online community groups on both LinkedIn and Facebook. I am still awaiting people to join the groups from the QR codes that I have handed out, and I am aware that leaving people to do this of their own accord means there is unlikely to be an uptake in the activity. The participants which I exchanged contact details (5 of them) I will contact to again promote them to join the group for conversion and collaboration on bringing nature into city spaces through their work.
Interestingly when conversing with the narratives environment student she was surprised the communities were online and not held in a physical space for conversation and collaboration. This was an angle I hadn’t really considered before as I had thought more to host panel discussion events or talks in person, not the community conversations themselves. The idea of hosting physical community meetings is something I will definitely look to explore more in the future.
Also, some people said they didn’t use linked in or Facebook only Instagram and so maybe I will look to expand the community on that platform too.
What I have learned/ Evaluation:
I gained connections with students off a vast variety of courses from industrial materials to narrative environments and preformance arts. It was really useful to hear the different perspectives on bringing nature into spaces and how everyone approches the topic differently but that it is a concpet the enagges people from a variety of fields.
Seeing the appeal of bringing nature into city spaces attract such a variety of people solidifield my decision to step away from limiting my work to hospiality businesses. The adjusted scope of my project helped to engage all of these individuals and can allow for future collaborations with them in the community to bring nature into cities through their work.
I furthered my skills in thinking on my feet. When uptake in the event was low, but I saw people watching the video from their seats I began to go round and hand out QR codes to individuals to try and gain their feedback and to heighten engagement in the event. I do however think that I should have done this sooner, as at the stage that I began doing this, the peak lunchtime slot was over.
The use of the video was enjoyed by many and provided the relaxing benefits of interacting with nature, it also served well in provoking thoughts around nature and even including nature in people’s professions.
I would look to utilise the video again in other events or situations
To consider hosting the community in perosn as well as online and on instagram as another platform alongside LinkedIn and Facebook
Reflection:
Looking to develop other events, I feel I need to focus upon inviting an audience rather than relying on engaging people already occupied in spaces, as this can be very hard to involve people as they don’t wish to spare their time. In order to establish such an audience, I feel it is appropriate to focus on building the communities online over the coming weeks with a view to hosting iterations of the event interventions in the future. Once a community begins to become established then the core community can invite their contacts and create a buzz around the vent so then passersby might be intrigued to get involved alongside the invited crowd.
However, there are positives to take from this event in that the projections provided the benefits of interacting with nature, as well as inspiring people to think of nature in their work; and the majority of participants stated they would be interested to visit future natural events.
Thanks fully CSM reopened today so I was able to conduct my event! The start of the event was very slow as the canteen was empty expect for 2/3 people until around 12:30pm.
Setup
Today I pinned the sheet up higher to hide as much of the purple border as possible. I also pinned up some of my sheets to write on the encourage people to come up and write ideas down, and this also helped to cover more of the purple board.
The light on the projection was still a big issue today. I feel that having moved the event to CSM so last minute this was a factor I overlooked slightly and it has really impacted the effect my event could have had.
Engagement With Stakeholders
performance arts student – using the rave scene as a method of communication for integrating cultures loves the projections of nature and thinking of it in that way – wants to look to collaborate to utilise similar scale de in her work – but she is less focused on sustainability and nature
Industrial designer student- wants to get in touch about collaborations, loved thinking how to fuse ideas of nature and humans together in the city space, really enjoyed watching the projections as she ate. She also recommends i look into the artist – Moon Ribas who exhibits how earthquakes impact humans through movement and dancing.
narrative environments student- really interested in my project, she looks at how to communicate stories in a new way and environment. Her friend on her course is really interested in bringing nature and forests to people after covid with people still staying in she wants them to get outside and so she is going to pass my email onto her friend to look at working together in the future! She also really enjoyed the wind noise as she felt it made her really feel like she was in the space.
Evaluation
Successes:
Good meaningful conversations with the participants I did interact with which can be followed up to lead to collaborations and their contributions to the online community.
I went round and started to hand out bookmarks with QR codes on to google forms of the questions and this enlisted some responses. In hindsight, I should have done this sooner rather than trying to speak to people on an individual basis that they were apprehensive might take up a lot of their time. Handing out the bookmarks so they could complete the question whilst they viewed the event in their own time was a much better idea.
Midground:
Many people sat eating sat to face and watch the video, suggesting they were intrigued by the event, but that was the extent of their interaction with the event.
Failures:
The location. The canteen was too noisy and bright with people focused on having a quick lunch and a chat that interacting with the event. This type of event possibly suits more passers-by or exhibit-style events rather than a space where everyone has ulterior motives for their use of time in the space.
Writing on the sheets had low uptake.
Reflection:
I had positive feedback on the content and mission of the event, so I feel something similar could work effectively if utilised under a different setting. Possibly a projection event could work as part of an exhibit, or in a space with footfall (but not too light/ lights on!)
I had some really interesting conversations with the participants that did engage with the event. I have the contact details for the vast majority of these participants and I plan to reach out to them all to get involved in the community and collaborate in the future.
Key takeaway – I was able to connect with many up and coming professionals within the design industry in a vast range of fields that were interested in learning how to bring nature into city space through their work.
Evidence
Please see link to google drive below containing images and videos of the event:
Immersive Natural Event 21st and 22nd October 11am-3:30pm at Central Saint Martins Canteen Space
This event looks to bring nature into city spaces and provide the health benefits of interacting with nature to people within the space. Such benefits include increased creativity, productivity, and positivity. The event aims to engage people with nature, encouraging nature to be included in their lives further and promoting the community practice I am developing as a space for professionals and designers to collaborate on bringing nature into their work.
The event will utilise projections and speakers to showcase a video of natural scenery, which is focused upon the water. The video footage and audio are all shot and owned by me. Water is the focus of this event due to my meetings with expert stakeholders, such as Sue Thomas (expert in technobiophilia) who spoke to me about her reading and experience of utilising water to engage people with nature as an often under utilised but highly dynamic force.
All equipment will be loaned from the CSM loan store and so will be PAC tested.
All cables will be taped down to the floor to avoid any tripping hazards.
People wishing to get further involved in the event will be asked to write their answers to two simple questions on large sheets of paper, which I will supply. One of the questions will be before and one after their engagement in the event. I will also provide a QR code for people to scan which links to my online community page, should they wish to join.
I will be present at the event for its entire duration.
Aims of Event
To showcase innovative, engaging and dynamic ways nature can be brought into city spaces
To provide participants with the opportunity to intercat with nature and feel its benefits – such as increased creativity, producivity and positivity; reduced anxiety and stress
To establish interest from deisgn experts/ professionals in the CSM community to utilise nature in their work
To meet upcoming deisgners and indivudlas interested in making sustainably minded decisions to join my online Nature In Community
All of these aims are focused upon drawing interest in nature amongst creatives, specifically at CSM for this event, to demonstrate the power and value of biophilic design consequently growing interest and uptake in joining the Nature In community.
Planning/ Logistics
Origionally this event was to be hosted at Chelsea College of Arts, to have secured that opportunity I have had meetings with Chelsea canteen and estates teams. However, having the event at Chelsea presented a few logistical issues, as the equiptmet to be utilsied in the event is all to be hired from the CSM loan store. Therefore, I was going to have to transport the equiptment from CSM to Chelsea across the two days.
Subsequenlty, the estates manager at Chelsea offered to contact CSM estates to see if the event could be hosted in the CSM restaurant instead.
After many eails and last minute changes a meeting was arranged with CSM estates, events and canteen to finalise details to host the event at CSM. Thankfully everything was provisionally approved for the event following my risk assessment.
Following this meeting I reserached how to formulate a risk assessmnet form for an event and constructed my document to then send to the estates, events and canteen teams.
The risk assessment was approved on monday and so everything is now logistically in place for the event on thursday and friday.
Creating Video
All footage utilised in the video was shot by me during trips to regents park and also in my recent trip back home ot sheffield, where I live near the Peak District which offered a very valuable opporutnity to gather truley natural shots of water
I edited the video utilsing premier pro which was a new software for me and took a while to establish how to create the video I wanted, but I am very happy with the final outcome.
The video will loop back on itself to cover teh duration of the event
I also tested projecting the video in my flat to see the impact it would have in the event and test out any issues. Please see the google drive link below to the videos of testing the projector:
Assessing the impacts of the event upon participants knowledge of the power and benefits of nature – how they experience these benefits from the event
Establishing if the event has insipred participants to utilise nature in their work
To measure these aspects participants will be asked to write their thoughts on a piece of paper upon entry in answer to certain questions:
How does this event make you feel about nature?
Does this event inspire you to include nature in your work and how?
Would you reccommend natural events to people and will you keep in touch?
These questions will also be linked into a google forms page that people can access via QR code to provide added details and also to leave their email for future contact
Growing the Nature In Communtiy
QR codes linking to LinkedIn Nature In Community, as well as another QR code to the Nature In Facebook Group for people who don’t have LinkedIn
What I Have Learned In Developing This Event:
Creating a Risk Assessment form
Editing a video to a standard fit for a professional event and utilisng effects on Premier Pro
Co-ordinating many different teams from events to estates and the canteen, to logistically get the event running
Developing relevant measures for the event are brief enough to ensure responses but that also provide enough infirmation for later effective evaluation
How to access not just already established professionals through internet searches on platforms such as LinkedIn; developng this event has helped me learn how to consider all types of professionals to jion the community that can influence change. For instance, the upcoming cutting edge creatives that study at CSM as well as the teachers.
Reflections:
It has been a long process in developing this event, largely due to the location change, and it has gone through many rounds of changes in developing the idea. However, I think with my new project direction centered around community building to tie all the threads of my work together, this event has the potential to be very powerful in changing perspectives and providing ideas/ knowledge of how nature can be brought into city spaces. Hosting the event in CSM is also very exciting to be able to access many upcoming designers which can join the discussions in my community group and begin to consider adding nature into their work.
To launch the professional community of Nature In I have chosen to utilise LinkedIn groups. This is due to many professionals I am wanting to reach and bring into the community already having big presences on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has also been incredibly instrumental in my work on this project to access high-level experts and individuals by simply reaching out through messaging on LinkedIn and asking if they would be interested in getting involved with my work. LinkedIn was also suggested as a potentially valuable platform during my second panel discussion.
How Will The Community Be Launched?
The community will initially begin by hosting the individuals I have connected with through the journey of my master’s venture. These key experts will form the foundation of the group and I will use this base to build the content and conversation between community members to attract further experts to get involved in the group. I will reach out to all of these connections individuals so they are made aware of the aims of the community and also invite them to introduce any revenant professionals they know to the community. All community members need to be accepted into the group via my admin approval.
Content Featured In The Community
I will curate and plan the content featured initially within the community. However, members will have the function to post in the group, I will simply approve the posts with my admin role. The posts will aim to promote discussion and collaboration among members which also providing knowledge/ information. The content will also include links to scheduled clubhouse discussions for members to join in on, as well as links to larger panel discussion style events that will be hosted via Streamyard on Youtube.
Future Plans for Growing the Community
I plan to expand the reach of my community by targeting people that lie outside my own niche and positionality so that I can attain multiple perspectives allowing for diverse discussions and truly innovative collaborations between members. I will access these potential members through LinkedIn searches, getting referrals from existing members and contacts, in-person meetings and through my immersive natural event on Thursday and Friday this week, where I will utilise the position of being in UAL to access upcoming designers and sustainably focused student to ask if they wish to join the community.
Looking to the future this community group may develop off LinkedIn into an app space or on the Nature In website (that I am in the process of developing). Additionally, to form this venture into a potential business, there may be a fee introduced to join the community group as a monthly subscription or to join the discussion talks.
Reflection/ Evaluation
In order to ensure the community is developed as efficiently and works as effectively as possible, I will explore and unpack literature around community practice and community building over the coming weeks. I am also conscious to identify my positionality amongst forming this community and so I look to develop a statement of positionality over next week too.
In order to set about achieving my newly solidified project aims, I have devised an action plan for the coming weeks. The action plan for the weeks after those outlined will evolve as those weeks draw closer.
WC 18/10/21
Finalising details for and promoting immerisve natural event – finish editing vidoe content to project and the natural soundscapes
Run immersive natural event on 21st and 22nd
Evaluate outcomes of event
Hold clubhouse discussion and include in LinkedIn community group
Evaluate outcomes of Clubhouse discussion
Draft evaluative report
Create Dragons Den presentation
WC 25/10/21
Conduct Dragons Den presentation
Research into community building and practsie
Research into posiionality and write my statemnet of positionality
Build up content in LinkedIn Communtiy Group and instigate discussion between members
Work to attract relevent professionals into the community group
Submit draft of evaluative report
WC 01/11/21
Finish building up Nauture In website – secure .com domain to go alongside the .co.uk and ensure all hyperlinks and content are polished
Publish Nature In website
Host Clubhosue discussions
Evalute outcomes of Clubhouse discussion
Look to arrange a more formal panel discussion hosted via the LinkedIn Community page
Build up members in community group
Continue to build Nature In instagram to utilise as publicity for the community
Through my recent period of evaluation on my project so far and how I want to progress my work, there has been some considerable evolution of my research question. The evolution of my research question and considerations can be seen below.
The focus on community in the new iteration of my research question is less of a change in direction and more of a union of the ambitions of my work this far. Forming a communtiy unites the past events, panel discussions, talks and stakeholder engagement I have hosted, as they community invites discussion around these interventions and pushes them even further. The community looks to expand upon these interventions by developing them through community discussion and input as well as focusing upon community discussion to include nature in differnet fields of work to ensure that it is included more within city spaces.
Over the past week, I have had space to take a step back from my work and truly look to evaluate my current direction and focus on my project due to illness stopping me from continuing on with practical work. This time has been invaluable to consider whether my current interventions and research question truly encapsulate the energy and motives of my work and what I wish to achieve.
I have included below my written workings that follow my decision-making process throughout the week and my evolution in evaluating where I am currently at and where I want to progress to. However, I then go on to summarise my thinking and consequential decision making to clarify my direction going forward as a result of this evaluation and reflection.
Progression of Reflection and Evaluation on Project Through to Evolution of Work:
Summary of Thinking and Evaluation of Project
Move away from simply reconnecting people to nature to consider the type of change I wish to make
This change initially being thought as an attitudional one but I feel this is best achieved through forming a community and community practise to create real change on a larger scale rather than small one off design events and talks ran by me – strength in numbers…
Strategic level change – also considering fact finding interventions to assess how people in the market react to this community
A community approach to build new attitudes in how nature is utilised in design, consequently results in reconnecting people to nature
So, my new direction in my work is much more specific and achieveable whilst providing a framework for real change. As, upon relfection I can now see my previous research question was quite diffused in its direction and purpose due to reconnecting people to nature being a broad focus.
Community approach also plays to my strengths of connecting with many top level stakeholders in my field and helps to connect all of the work I have been conducting in the background of my project such as meeting lost of biophilic, natural and sustainability experts
The group also adresses a key issue I have noticed through connecting with these experts and reaching out to differnet stakeholders. This being that the field of biophilia/natural design/ sustaibility led companies are very scattered across the internet and sites such as LinkedIn. This makes it very hard for professionals to meet each other but also for their knowledge to be combined and implemented in spaces in a new way. This knowledge can also then be shared with other industry professionals such as interior designers and architects that can be added into the community who can then implement the communtiy discussed ideas and concpets of natural design in their projects and also link with companies who can help make these ideas a reality.
I believe there is scope to combine my work and interests into building this professional multistakeholder community
The change to make is in percieving nature as a must have in design rather than a nice to have – this not only provides health and wellbeing benefits associated with intercting with nature, but can also help to meet sustianbility targets
Aim is to bring nature into city spaces are these are the spaces that desperately need the focus of natural design and also largely contain the people that feel most disconnected from nature (from my intervention findings and further reserach)
My work focusing on hospitality is still very relevant, only now there is wider scope for the application of nature in other city spaces, such as urban interior spaces and workplaces
Focusing on hospitality was seen as the correct way forward and entry point for my work at the begining as a sector with maxium impact. Hospitality was focused upon due to there being little applications of customer centric biophilic deisgn in the hospitality sector, hospitality having been hit so harshly by the pandemic and such design schemes and events helping to attract customers, the rise in sustainably counscious venues and the popularity of hospitality spaces leading to a vast sphere of influence among city dwellers that typcially ave minimal intercations with nature were all contributing factors.
However, with the progression of my work looking towards community building and practise there is a natural evolution away from limiting that community to the hospitality sector, as the communtiy can be of great benefit to multiple city spaces.
There is naturally multiple applications for this professional community as hospitality is so closesly linked to the consumer market; therefore, my work up until now feeds into the creation of this community space almost seamlessly.
New Direction In Summary
Research Question:
How can community practice encourage knowledge sharing on biophilic design to promote the inclusion of nature in city spaces?
Stakeholders:
Primary stakeholders – Natural design experts and professionals interested in learning about and incorporating natural design
Secondary stakeholders – Owners of internal city spaces (having the opportunity to host the ideas of the community)
Tertiary stakeholders – Users of city spaces that now incorporate nature as a result of work from the Nature In Community, thus the benefit from the work of the project.
Interventions:
Professional Community via LinkedIn page, featuring collaboration and conversation in the group, as well as Clubhouse talks to share knowledge and Instagram for publicity
Natural Events – showcase what can be achieved through natural design when thinking innoavctively and collaboratively, but also utilsie these events being held at Chelsea College of Arts to add up and coming deisgners and creative practitioners that are sustianbly focused into the professional community group
Reflection
This period of evaluation and reflection on the direction of my project has been invaluable in working to create the most effective outcomes possible. I now feel passionate that I am working to develop interventions that actively target the key aims of my work and that combine all aspects and ambitions of my work into an impactful, engaging and challenging direction.
