Exnovation: From tools to mindset and praxis

Stine Moons and Marie Van den Bergh

Exnovation is an umbrella term for a high-potential new research area in the transition design field. It encompasses a diversity of practices to break down and destabilise unsustainable structures to make space for systemic change on different levels, building towards a transformation of the system. Over the past few years, exnovation as a concept in transition design was put on the map and explored in workshops and academic literature in the field of (systemic) design research. First steps were made to develop tools to make the exnovation concept actionable in practice. By developing exnovation theoretically, the need for a more general exnovation mindset and practice became clear. In this workshop, we want to explore this perspective: how do we make designers familiar with exnovation as a mindset, breaking down what is not needed as they design towards a sustainable, fair and just future? The workshop is conducted in an open brainstorming format, with ample time to discuss the insights coming up throughout the workshop. We dive deeper into the epistemology, competencies, values and practices that could be part of exnovation, and the implications of exnovation becoming established in the broader society. We end the workshop by exploring the first steps to building an open exnovation repository that can hold contributions of both design research and practice.

KEYWORDS: exnovation, design mindset & praxis, transition design, sustainability transitions