"Agency and new design methodologies"

Design, traditionally perceived as a process driven by the agency of the designer, often carries with it the assumption of a centralized creative force. However, recent explorations in design methodologies challenge this notion, emphasizing the importance of distributed agency, symbiotic relationships, and the ever-evolving nature of design as an open process. Within this context, the concept of "parasitic design" emerges as a compelling framework that not only critiques the hierarchical structures inherent in traditional design practices but also celebrates the fluid, dynamic interactions that shape the design process.

Parasitic design draws inspiration from biological symbiosis, particularly the relationship between mycelium and plant roots in mycorrhizal networks. In this network, there is no central point of control; rather, communication and resource exchange occur through a decentralized, cooperative system. This analogy serves as a powerful metaphor for design practices that reject the notion of a singular creative authority. Instead, design becomes a collaborative, multi-agent process where the role of the designer is less about dictating outcomes and more about facilitating interactions among diverse entities, both human and non-human.

"Fer safareig"

Gossiping, whispering, sharing secrets, and making them public: these actions encapsulate what we now refer to as fer safareig—the act of doing laundry in a communal water space. In the current context of ecological drought and privatization, Fer safareig examines water as a connective and communal element, transforming into a symbolic public space that brings forth buried voices and sources.

Through a neo-archaeological lens focused on the Wittmore Hotel, built on what was once an old public laundry, this project seeks to reimagine its architecture and the echoes of conversations and stories that reverberate within the space it now occupies. These are seen as intrinsically connected to the local community, ecology, and material reality, as well as to the bodies that move through, access, or are excluded from the space.

Fer safareig materializes through three scales of interventions centered around water and its privatization. These take the form of a reflective and introspective exercise, programming and public installations, and their activation through engagement with the local community.