TEDx Boulder: Conscious Growth

by Maggie Flickinger

It’s here!  My talk for August’s TEDx Boulder has been posted on YouTube. This is definitely the most concise version of our thoughts on land development with values – we generally give hour long presentations on this topic, similar to the Ecovillages talk Amy & I will be giving at this weekend’s Bioneers conference in Boulder. So, grab a few bites of popcorn, enjoy the show, and let me know what you think of the distilled challenge we present!

Powers of Ten: Sunday, 10.10.10

by Maggie Flickinger

The auspicious date of 10.10.10 is rapidly approaching!  At Barrett Studio, Charles & Raye Eames’ seminal Powers of Ten film holds a dear place.  We’ve often referred to the film and shared our Powers of Ten flipbook with potential clients and fellow design conspirators.  This only makes sense, as the Eames’ philosophy of “seeing the big things in the little things and the little things in the big things” is a pillar of our practice.  Rather than compartmentalizing and working in a narrow area of focus, this practice of “design thinking” encourages systemic and symbiotic solutions, often arrived at through a collaborative process integrating multiple disciplines.  

While this provides a platform for our studio’s organization, it also inspires us at a project level.  Spending time on a site, we gain influence from patterns of light on rock outcroppings or the way wind sings through grasses.  This connects us to a smaller natural scale, the larger ecosystem within which it lives, and the elements by which it is influenced – and more importantly, reminds us that all of these scales are inextricably interwoven.  As we select finishes and materials for a project, seeking reliable source and lifecycle information brings the “final product” back into connection with the planetary processes of which it takes advantage.  And when we inhabit a space designed with an acknowledgment of these interconnections, there are moments when the smallest microcosm of our inner beings is transported to the wonder of our macrocosm.