Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
BRIDGING CULTURES THROUGH PARTICIPATORY LAND ART: EMBODIED INTERACTION AND SOCIAL DESIGN IN CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATION
Yanyan LIU; Baichuan WANG; Siyu HAN; Ziyue WANG; Melanie SARANTOU
Type:
Year:
2025
Editor:
Yong Se Kim; Yutaka Nomaguchi; Cees de Bont; Jianxi Luo; Xiaofang Yuan; Linna Hu; Meng Wang
Author:
Series:
Other endorsed
Institution:
Kyushu University, Japan
Page(s):
165-172
Abstract:
In the context of globalization, cultural differences and language barriers remain major challenges for cross-cultural collaboration. Art, with its capacity to transcend language, offers new pathways for collaboration. This study explores the potential of participatory land art for cross-cultural collaboration and social design. Using the Miyanohara Land Art Project in Japan as an example, it integrates arts-based research with visual ethnography to analyze interaction patterns across different stages. The results indicate that cross-cultural teams undergo a dynamic evolution, moving from cautious exploration to adaptation and integration, and ultimately to efficient collaboration. Embodied interaction helps reduce unfamiliarity and establish psychological safety in the early stage, promotes bodily entrainment and implicit consensus in the middle stage, and later integrates with language to strengthen trust and cooperation. This study not only reveals the role of embodied interaction in cross-cultural collaboration but also provides actionable design interventions for social design. These interventions support the early detection of cultural tensions and power differences in the design process, helping to establish psychological safety and trust.
Keywords:
