Lo—TEK. Design by Radical Indigenism

Academic, author and designer Julia Watson argues that the post-Enlightenment technological mythology built up in the West has ignored indigenous wisdom and innovation, deeming it primitive, and that this has led to design and infrastructure interventions that, rather than allowing us to live in symbiosis with nature, perpetuate the problems we attempt to solve in the name of sustainability.

Presented in four chapters, along with explicatory front matter, the work presents its case for ‘A design movement to rebuild an understanding of indigenous philosophy and vernacular architecture that generates sustainable, climate-resilient infrastructures.’ The chapters cover mountains, forests, deserts and wetlands across the globe, with each containing several case studies on various indigenous communities’ nature-conscious interventions. Technical and scientific information is presented in helpful diagrams that accompany photography and detailed textual exploration.