Design as we Speak is a snapshot of an ongoing design process inspired by oft-forgotten bioclimatic principles and vernacular knowledge. Taking the cabin as a departure point, the exhibition expands principle elements from the artist’s practice relating to autonomy, adaptability, lightness and open-endedness. Three cases—Palama, Cévennes and Maloja—explore various angles, aspects and concerns. All relatively different to each other in terms of design and habitability, and far from ever being “complete,” the cabins address the necessary attitude and conditions for the creation of spaces of refuge and autonomy. All three cabins are designed for seasonal stays and contribute to a sustainable understanding of their individual contexts. The exhibition not only highlights the relevance of traditional knowledges in understanding ecological, processes but also includes experiments with ecologies of property, accommodation, legislation, the social contract and the commons. The show serves as an in between point, revealing a design process at its very middle stage, with the pieces’ inhabitation and use still to come.

This project is an artistic collaboration with Bureau Barbier Bouvet.