Being with Plants through Collective Fabulation, Critical Companionship and Cohabitation

The impact of plants worldwide is broadly documented. However, they are seldom viewed as active stakeholders in the design process. Because of their capabilities, developed over millions of years, they shape the landscape, provide us with oxygen and are a cornerstone species in the global food chain. In the context of more-than-human design, it is important to study plant capabilities and how we relate to them. The lack of perceiving plants is sometimes labelled plant awareness disparity, also known as “plant blindness”. This phenomenon stops many from noticing, appreciating, being interested in, and understanding the importance of plants and thus appreciating the possible vital contribution of plants in design. In this chapter, we argue that when designing with plants, we need to develop novel modes of being with plants, that will help us include plants in the design process. We present and discuss three modes we have used to include plants in design processes: collective fabulation, critical companionship and cohabitation.