Radical Indigenism

Lo-TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism’, by Julia Watson, Taschen

Pedestrian bridges knotted from riverbank roots, fish-farm landscapes that filter urban wastewater and houses woven from dried reeds that can be relocated within a day. These examples and many inspiring others are uncovered in our recently-arrived copy of the new Taschen publication ‘Lo-TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism’, authored by Julia Watson (an Australian academic based in the U.S.A.)

The book presents a series of case studies of indigeneity and ingenuity liberally illustrated with contextual photographs and diagrams. It offers a timely reminder, in this year of lockdowns and isolation, of the need to look locally for inspiration. Rather than innovate with imported technologies, the Lo-tek movement repurposes vernacular forms and systems, generating designs that are sustainable, resilient and attuned to their resident culture.

This building technologies explored exemplify the axiom that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. What was often dismissed by the West as the product of ‘primitive’ societies actually represents a symbiosis of human culture and natural ecosystems. Given the increasing threat to the planet from the side effects of ‘modern’ technology, now is the time to learn from this diverse array of living solutions evolved by people who saw not obstacles but opportunities.