Unconditional Design: Discover How Cikapundung River Residents Practice It
“Have you ever paused for a moment and wondered about the lives you might have led? You might be sitting on a campus bench, scrolling through your phone in an apartment, or stuck in front of a laptop. But have you ever been curious about peeking into someone else’s life? Living in different places, making different choices, adopting unique ways of living, or even breathing in different air.”
A Background Story
At Knods Playground, we call the Sensing Journey as purposeful walk to observe and discover. Simply put, it’s not about the pace or style of your walking, but about truly immersing yourself in the surroundings. On this journey, we don’t rely on apps to track steps, elevation, or distance; instead, we engage our five senses. We allow ourselves to slow down and pause, taking pictures and scribbling notes about what we hear, see, taste, and smell. When we encounter interesting objects, we ask questions like ‘What is this?’ and ‘What is it for?’ — much like curious kindergarteners. We allow ourselves to awkwardly mimic and interact with local residents to gain understanding. Personally, I believe this observational walk allows us to encounter and appreciate different life experiences.
Exactly three days before the Eid Al-Adha celebration, Knods Playground teamed up with NUS College students for a Sensing Journey in Bandung. Our goal was to discover the practice of unconditional design in Bandung, a city recognized as a Creative City by UNESCO. We carved our footsteps along the Cikapundung River pathway, covering areas such as Babakan Siliwangi, Kampung Pelangi, Ciumbuleuit, Dago Pojok and Curug Dago, with our final destination being Mimilu Cafe.
A Brief Introduction to Unconditional Design
I borrowed the definition of Unconditional Design from @unconditionaldesign. It describes the process of creating or innovating objects or systems in new or unconventional ways. Sometimes, these creations are unpredictable and improvised, but the objective is always to add value to the object’s primary function or to transform it’s function altogether. The benefit often lies in extending the life and maximizing the potential of an object by changing its function. To add a twist, @unconditionaldesign refers to this design practice as ‘akal-akalan warga,’ which means people creatively modifying things to fulfill their needs.
General Impressions of Cikapundung River and Its Residents
In less than 5 km, we encountered a vast array of sights. Mahima, one of our team members, remarked on her interest in “the delineation from kampongs to affluent areas.” The journey took us through densely packed neighborhoods that transitioned into estate housing with spacious backyards. We saw semi-permanent buildings where glimpses of daily life were visible through open windows, contrasting sharply with high-rise buildings with blackout curtains. The differing housing designs and systems highlighted the varied values and lifestyles of the residents, painting a complex picture of the community.
Beyond the built environment, our team noted the dynamic relationship between the social and natural surroundings. From river bends to waterfalls, we observed animals behave in near-natural settings and as domesticated pets. It was surprising to see warungs selling both human and pet food on the same shelves, reflecting the residents’ desire to care for their environment.
In a short 5–10 minute walk, the scene changed dramatically. This neighborhood entertained us with its diverse landscapes, from massive housing to welcoming residents, the river, and century-old trees. As Sunny noted, she was “tired from climbing but healed” indicating how the Sensing Journey allowed us to reconnect with people and the environment.
Many Cikapundung residents view the river as a lifeline, inspiring them to care for it through communal activities and educational programs like Sekolah Sungai. They also raise awareness about the importance of not dumping household waste or litter into the river. This ongoing battle reflects their dedication to preserving the river for future generations.
Unconditional Design Practice
Insights #1: From Communication to Commerce
We encountered numerous menus hanging offered by homemade sellers. The closer we saw, we recognized that some of them were using repurposed materials such as spanduk kampanye (political campaign banners) or spanduk iklan (ads banners), often with handwritten menus. This act of creation enabled them to extend the life of campaign banners that may only last weeks before election times.
If you are native, you may be familiar with the Kerupuk (crackers) sign system in front of home sellers acting as a signal of the opening of the Toko Kelontong. Our team was surprised by the selection of snacks, homemade yogurt, and ice cream offered.
Another designed object found was the vehicle stopper using repurposed paint cans/bucket that holds the wood stick with a stop sign. These objects were found around semi-urban housing, as if they were indicating ‘do not park here’ in front of their houses. The found objects and sign systems serve a communication purpose — one purely for signaling and the other for commercial purposes.
Insights #2: Scrapy Functional
Some of our team members observed how residents near Cikapundung used intricate branch shapes to hang helmets. One team member noticed households using wires and bamboo as materials for drying clothes. The fact that wires and bamboo can support the weight of clothes and blanket reflects a playful approach to material and form exploration, resulting in what may be considered scrappy or ‘tambal-sulam’ solutions. These solutions are functional and practical because they effectively fulfill the residents’ intentions at that time.
Insights #3: Vulnerable Innovation
Building on the topic explored in Insights #2, residents appear to explore the potential of materials to create practical solutions. Repurposed objects, found materials, or opting for cheaper materials may attract residents from an economic value perspective. However, as we observed, we also noticed the use of materials like asbestos, which has been banned overseas, particularly as a roofing material. While these makeshift solutions may address economic concerns, it is crucial to carefully consider health implications in the exploratory-making process.
Outro
Reflecting on the Sensing Journey alongside the Cikapundung River, I find myself unable to arrive at a definitive conclusion or synthesize the how-might-we statements. Instead, it raises several questions:
- If Cikapundung acts as a lifeline for its residents, yet trash remains a recurring challenge, what is the root cause? Is it a generational problem? If not, what interventions could bring about significant change? What systems need to be designed? Could these systems potentially hinder or support the practice of unconditional design?
- As residents engage in unconditional design to meet daily needs, what factors influence their material selection and form-finding processes? How can health considerations be integrated into these processes to make sure that designed objects not only solve problems but also promote the well-being of residents?
- Considering the significant role of unconditional design in commercial activities, what developments are needed to support the greener economic growth for the Cikapundung residental area?
Credits to Knods Playground by Labtek Indie for arranging the walk.
To the team mate Mahima, Isaac, Sunny, Alysa, and Yordan.
