Process: Journal of the GSD Design Research Forum

PROCESS was published by the GSD Design Research Forum, a student group at the GSD led primarily by students in the MDes program. Conceived as a biweekly publication, it embraces a playful production method described as follows: “The structure is […] a paragraph situating a topic with respect to design-research will pose a question; […] respondents will be invited to write a two-paragraph response, then pose a question for the next respondent to answer. (Like a game of telephone).”The publication defines itself succinctly “Process is a dialogue unfolding in real-time.” While the format may at first seem fleeting, the consistently thoughtful and substantive. Editors include Kate Cahill, Justin Henceroth, Carly James, and Jane Zhang. The first issue takes up the theme of “fieldwork”, exploring how it is understood across disciplines —such as site visits in architecture, ethnographic interview in anthropology, and plot sampling plant ecology — and asks, in particular, how the notion of a geo-located field shifts in a data-driven world. The second issue of Process turns to “agency” and the role of the design researcher in shaping contexts and issues. Here, voices from the former MDES concentrations such as Risk and Resilience join those from Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology, reinforcing the diversity of perspectives. Although the intended biweekly schedule proved difficult to maintain  —only two issues were released— the slower pace reflects the nature of the process itself: collaboration takes time.