Happy 02020 from Superorganism! š š¦
Our First Year-in-Review!
Originally published January 25, 02020
Happy 02020 from Superorganism
Hello and Happy New Year from Ariana & Tara at Superorganism!
We know we missed the New Years greetings window, but we made it in time for the Lunar New Year instead! ššš
This is for you.Ā We've been reflecting on the incredible and serendipitous network we've created over the past couple years. Thank you for the thoughts youāve helped us think and all of your support! It means a lot to us and helps make forging a different path for ourselves feel possible.
Introducing Superorganism.Ā While working together on ourĀ collaborative major research projectĀ as graduate students at OCAD, we formed Superorganism. Superorganism is a design collective that helps communities and organisations transition to more just, sustainable, and relational futures. Our approach combines systemic design theory and research, strategic foresight, and creative and participatory engagements. Follow along with us through ourĀ newsletterĀ to stay updated as we grow and evolve! (Yes, we are sending this to you, but we did not subscribe you on your behalfāyou have toĀ opt-inĀ for future news!)
Why āSuperorganismā?Ā Societal transitions do not come about only through the contributions and actions of individuals. They will not simply be the result of us humans making more ethical choices about what we eat, how we get around, the type of work we do, or how much waste we produce. Nor are these transitions solely dependent on change from the top: from the oil executives, the politicians, the tech giants, the invisible hands, etc. People, organizations, communities, and activists are already doing so much to open pathways to alternative futures. Transition happens when we see all of these projects not as individual organisms of change, but as a superorganism, a distributed movement that recognizes the power and necessity of anyone at any point in the system to work toward better futures.
Looking back...
It wouldnāt be a New Years Letter without a year in review!
The year in fun.Ā In 2019, we spent our time on a writingĀ retreatĀ in a Montreal blizzard, hostingĀ fire pitsĀ in Dufferin Grove,Ā cookingĀ for each other, swooning over Arturo Escobar'sĀ book, thinking about feminist ways of collaboratively researching thanks to an OCAD course withĀ Maria BelĆ©n Ordonez, givingĀ lotsĀ ofĀ loveĀ to our old road bikes, enjoying season two of the OA and Fleabag, and finding ways to make vegan desserts out of sweet potato (carrot cake with Japanese sweet potatoĀ frostingĀ is a top fave).Ā Ā
The year in projects.Ā In February, we worked with an environmental non-profit in Yellowknife to research and imagine what aĀ sustainability-focused innovation hubĀ could look like in Canada's Northwest Territories. This project was integral to our Major Research Project,Ā Designing Futures with Care: Finding Our Way to Different Worlds Together, which we completed in May. We presented aĀ poster onĀ principles-based designingĀ and ran aĀ workshop on introductionsĀ in October at the Relating Systems Thinking and Design Symposium in Chicago. In December, we conducted a remote visioning and foresight session forĀ Creative Commons Canada.
Looking forward...
Website.Ā We will be launching our new website soonāstay tuned!
Newsletter.Ā This is the first issue of a more regular newsletter. Weāll be writing about current projects and thoughts we are thinking on topics like systemic design, transition, degrowth, community, care, alliances and activism, and everyday practices of change.Ā Subscribe!
Virtual mending circle.Ā In the spirit of repair culture and exercising a politics of care, we are setting aside time for a virtual call to mend with each other. It will be a time and space to chat about mending our things, mending ourselves, and mending the systems we are a part of. We're planning our first call in February and weāll send more details in our next newsletter.Ā
Introductions workshop.Ā We had a great discussion at anĀ activity groupĀ we facilitated at the Relating Systems Thinking and Design Symposium about the ways in which we introduce ourselves as designers (and as people, really). It helped us think through how we could make introducing our work more intentional and meaningful. Stay tuned for a workshop breakdown and some materials you can use if you're interested in exploring introductions on your own.
Updates on us!
TaraĀ is living in Waterloo, Ontario, spending a lot of time with her family, and getting involved with (a few too many) projects. Since returning from a long sailing trip she undertook with her dad this past summer, she has been working remotely forĀ Dene Nahjo, an Indigenous innovation collective based in Denendeh (the Northwest Territories). She recently became the coordinator for a āsocial innovation labā run out of theĀ Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and ResilienceĀ that is looking to bolster theĀ social purpose enterprise ecosystemĀ across Canada.
She has also been spending a lot of time learning and thinking about degrowth, mushrooms, and fiber arts with friends locally. Tara is looking forward to grounding herself in community-based transition projects as she reconnects to her roots in her hometown after a decade of living elsewhere.
ArianaĀ is currently in Cape Town, South Africa with her partner. Sheās been on the road since this summer, rambling from west Texas up the US east coast to Toronto before returning to North Carolina. Abroad, sheās been grappling with finding friends and community engagement in temporary spaces. Sheās been working with a local urbanĀ farm, visiting theĀ marketĀ it supplies, and cooking with the beautiful produce sheās helped harvest.
When not being humbled by trail running or exploring the city, sheās been devouring all sorts of books via the Charlotte Public Library on her e-reader (sheās a new convert--truly the best way to read a lot and travel light). She is excited to bring back new practices learned from the unique pace and stories of South Africa. Ariana looks forward to combining her loves of storytelling, doodling, and creative documentation to bring more Superorganism philosophy to the public.
Get in touch
Email.Ā You can write us at our current email addresses, of course, but you can also reach us atĀ tara@superorg.caĀ andĀ ariana@superorg.ca.
Social media.Ā We are engaging more onĀ TwitterĀ andĀ InstagramĀ this year!
Newsletter.Ā You can opt-in to stay updated (link below)!
Thank you for reading and for caring about us.
Lots of love,
Ariana & Tara