Phyllis Wong | Regenerative Design Researcher & Practitioner

Workshop References & Links
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You have received this by-invitation-only link as you recently participated in one of my workshops, including Learning to (un)Learn or The Matriarch; A Regenerative Reset – Navigating Towards Regenerative Creative Practices. The information below includes sources, references and links for your further exploration. Additional material comes from my independent research and related ongoing practice.

You are welcome to share these information, but please credit and quote where relevant.

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Janine Benyus
Co-founder Biomimicry 3.8

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"The living systems are self-organising networks that sustain themselves through the continual flow of energy (the capacity to do work or cause change) and matter (the physical material). These systems are open to their environment, exchanging energy and matter while maintaining their internal organisation.

The living systems is regenerative (renew and repair itself), creative (generate new forms/ideas) and intelligent (able to sense, respond and adapt). They are formed through dynamic, interconnected networks of relationships."

The Principles of Life

physicist, deep ecologist and systems theorist, Fritjof Capra capracourse.net

A balance living systems
sources: arturo escobar, fritjof capra, donna haraway, lynn margulis, regenesis institute

Symbiotic

A mutually dependent and enduring (biological) relationship characterised by close and sustained interaction between two or more distinct species.

Reciprocal

A mutual exchange or relay, denoting a relationship in which each element both completes and mirrors the other, functioning as equal and interdependent counterparts within a shared dynamic

Self-organising

The inherent capacity to grow, develop, flourish and evolve through continuous

feedback loops and interactions with its surrounding environment.

A process by which order, complexity and coherence emerge spontaneously

from within the entity itself as it responds to internal and external stimuli

Nested-ness

The understanding that every entity exists as part of a larger, interdependent whole.
A cell functions as a constituent of a body; a tree forms an integral component of a forest and the forest itself is within the wider dynamics of a watershed

Inter-related

The condition in which all components are simultaneously autonomous and interconnected while each part maintains its own integrity and function. It also participates in a larger web of relationships, such that a change or disturbance will influences the dynamics and wellbeing of the whole.

Pluralism

It is the power of “more than one” where diverse species, symbioses and evolutions coexisting. Their interactions weave resilience, vitality and renewal, shaping ecosystems as dynamic, interdependent and ever-evolving communities.

Local and Place-based

Place-based systems grow from local context, including ancestral and Indigenous (land) knowledge, deeply rooted in generational insights into complex interconnections shaped by climate, geology, history, culture, heritage and politics where communities, ecosystems and traditions intertwine, which enables resilience, identity and a deep sense of belonging.

Matriarch

Matriarchal, harnesses power within, not over, created, supported and evolving with other key principles within the living systems. It nurtures balance, renewal and novelty through interdependence with all forms of life.

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Artistotle

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Inner Development

Cultivating self- awareness, mindset, and personal capacity to act and live in harmony with living systems. Also critical is growing empathy and resilience so that your actions can support ecological and social regeneration. <<Inner Development Goals (Summit)>>

Paradigm Shift

A crucial role because they change how we perceive and relate to the world. It’s not about new innovation; it’s about shifting from a mindset of extraction and control to one of interconnection and co-creation with living systems. This deeper shift in worldview, awareness and values allow regenerative actions to be truly lasting, rather than temporary fixes. << Regenerative Paradigm Map >>

Emotional Intelligence

It grounds regenerative design in attuned responsiveness. It enables practitioners to read and respond to the needs of human and ecological systems. This embodied capacity transforms design into a co-creative process that sustains and regenerates living systems.

Confluent Education

Involves the integration of affective and cognitive domains, an Gestalt-based approach and incorporating behavioural elements. The humanistic pedagogy method, pioneered by George I. Brown and Stewart B. Shapiro in the 70s, seeks deeper learning by advocating self-awareness, personal responsibility, and emotional balance alongside traditional academic knowledge.

Nested-ness

An understand of place and space by discovering key patterns that can offer and facilitate a living systems whole. Navigate yourself or your project nesting in an “approximate whole”. It is a living systems in the closest relationship to you and your project. Nesting beyond, is the “greater whole” where it encompass a higher level of systems of which approximate whole plays a part.

Systems thinking

A cognitive approach for understanding interdependencies in a holistic form. It is about recognising patterns and connections. It focuses on analysing, mapping, and understanding the whole constellation, its dynamics, and feedback loops. Feedback loops are information about the results of an action, which travels back to influence future actions, allowing systems to regulate themselves, adapt, or change.

Successions

Ecosystems move through stages, from pioneer weeds to a mature forest, in a predictable way. The early stages focus on growth and production while later, the mature stages focus on stability, diversity, and efficient nutrient cycling. As ecosystems mature, they become better at managing their own resources and resisting external threats (like drought or pests). << Eugene Odum, The Strategy of Ecosystem Development 1969. >>

How can the art/design practice operates as a successional system instead of a linear project. Each body of work establishes conditions for growth, emergence, saturation, disturbance, and reorganisation, allowing form, authorship, and meaning to evolve in response to internal and external influences and conditions.