Beauty and Sustainability
Dear Aesthetics People!
I was invited to speak on a panel on the topic of Beauty and Sustainability on June 27, 2024. The other panelists were Mel Saenz of Juniper Lighting Design and William Stuart owner of Costantini Design. This event was organized and hosted by Katie Thurber, Pato Paez, and Leiti Hsu. And it featured the work of two artists: Megan Suttles and Jason Young.
As I continue to ruminate on this topic, I thought it would be helpful to share some brief thoughts about it as a loose recap of the event. I should say that this was an exhilarating evening with amazing tacos, a saxophone spitting flames by which to roast marshmallows, and a jellyfish (Leiti Hsu) host. I mention these things to urge people to create experiences, even when ideas are still to remain at the center of an evening.
And now, allow me to push some ideas forward about the topic—beauty and sustainability—I hope you will add comments so I can hear some of your thoughts as well.
First, part of what instigated this topic and my involvement on the panel was an essay I wrote for The Venetian Letter, called “Why is Beauty Essential for Sustainable Architecture and Design?” I borrow a couple ideas from architect Lance Hosey, especially when he writes: “If it’s not beautiful, it’s not sustainable.” In other words, beauty needs to be part of our design processes from the beginning; it’s not an add-on or making something merely “pretty.” Beauty affects the objects and our perceptions of them and the company. While people may genuinely want to support companies that have sustainable practices, it’s not actually a significant predictor of brand loyalty. Researchers concluded that the more you invest in aesthetics, the stronger the relationship with your customers.
Second, and related to the above, we should not design only for utility or functionality. Yes, we need to have functional objects and built environments, but that cannot be the only end for which we design. As we know, the functions of a building can change. If it was designed only for its function, then it becomes obsolete when that function changes. In other words, we need to design with future uses in mind, not only the first use of a space. And this applies to all products. In terms of the built environment, there are some structures that exist for one main purpose; for example, stadiums exist to host events, especially sports. There’s a growing tendency to not just design for its usage, but to design for its future repurposing. And that is key to thinking about sustainability. As philosopher Roger Scruton wrote: “Aesthetic value is the long-term goal, utility the short-term.”
Third, the conversation around sustainability is more holistic than a focus on the environment alone. In 1987, the Brundtland Report, published by the United Nations, “introduced the three pillars or principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability, also known as ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance).” Environmental is the ability to preserve and protect the natural environment through practices and procedures, and it is what people tend to think about first when discussing sustainability. Social sustainability involves focusing on the well-being of people and communities, which is guided by education, equity, and human flourishing. Economic sustainability means that activities are conducted in a way to promote long-term economic well-being. Sustainability needs to include these three (and maybe other things as well), in order to be truly effective.
As a final element, one thing stood out to me as an absolute necessity: everyone needs to be involved in conversations and actions around sustainability. At this event, we combined theorists and practitioners, which yielded more fruitful discussion. We need philosophers, scientists, designers, and artists to work together. The diversity is not a gimmick; it yields greater results. As Ken Blanchard famously said: “All of us are smarter than any one of us.”
Relevant ARL Articles
ARL News
Digital Fashion: Theory, Practice, Implications edited by Michael R. Spicher, Sara Emilia Bernat, and Doris Domoszlai-Lantner comes out on July 25!
This is a few months old, but Michael was recently invited to be a Luminary Thinker on a new social ideas platform called RedBoxMe in collaboration with Cartier.
*To invite me to lead a workshop or speak on how to re-humanize your work culture, please email me at michaelrspicher@gmail.com
Newsletter recommendation: My friend and colleague, Pato Paez, has a newsletter called, “Hey, Art Lover!” If you’re interested in contemporary art, but you don’t feel like you know much about it, then you should subscribe. Pato spotlights “remarkable contemporary artists, so you can enjoy the process of discovering and experiencing art.”
I’m glad to see you state the case for beauty. It seems to me that people often treat sustainability as a utility, or at least a materialistic value that they can measure. In pursuing the quantifiable values towards this goal, beauty often gets sidelined. Just as what happens when an architect prioritizes function. In the end, such a building will very likely end up ugly, unloved, neglected and disposed of. Defeating the goal of longevity in the process.