House of Multiple Dimensions

My recent research is an exploration into the role of references in the development of a design research project. The starting point of this exploration was a series of sketchbooks, which hold a collection of potentially useful references, filled during the development of my project House of Multiple Dimensions. These sketchbooks have been an informal record of the project‘s theoretical and design background. Yet, any attempt to describe their influence on the development of the project could only be conceived as a post-rationalisation exercise. This observation poses a question on the relationship between the existing and the new in a design research project. The aim of my research is to open up a discussion on the role of references in the design process and indicate possible ways of documenting a design research project which acknowledge the role of references in design development in a creative manner. Embracing the challenge of describing the function of references in the documentation of a design research project could lead to a richer presentation format; one that acknowledges by means of design that the final outcome of a design research project is one of a continuous interchange and exchange between the existing and the new. What is the role of references in the development of a design research project and how can it be represented and incorporated in the design outcome?