Creativity/Service- Wesoła District Design Workshop

Oct-Feb

The Wesola District is a piece of territory with several old hospital buildings which has been bought by the city. It has a design pharmacy in which artists and architects meet. However, it still has not been decided what the space will be used for as the buildings cannot be destroyed or changed. For now, the green area is used for various festivals and events. Hence, the aim of the workshop is to come up with ideas for what the district can be utilized for in the future. During the first meeting, we were taken on a tour of the district and asked to think of ideas for what the district could be utilized for, without removing what is already present. We also discussed the advances in technology that can be seen and how this knowledge can be used to design the space. 

Approval questions

• I chose to participate in this project because I like creative thinking and I would like to help in designing the Wesola District into a meaningful place in the future. 
• This project makes me a communicator, inquirer and knowledgeable as I discuss ideas with others and learn new things. It also makes me open-minded and reflective as I consider everyone's opinions. It makes me caring as I want to help in making a positive impact on the city of Krakow. 
• Ms Ula is my supervisor
• My goal is to come up with creative ideas to help in designing the district
• The location is at school and at the Wesola District on ul. Grzegorzecka
• There are 5 meetings in total on Fridays, between 12:10 and 13:50

At the next meeting we had to come prepared with some opportunities, challenges and hopes that we noticed on the walk, and three examples that illustrate the way the world seems to be headed. An opportunity that I came up with was using the district as a place for leisure activities in which people can relax. There would be a lot of green spaces, a library, a cafe and outdoor A challenge is that there is a limited amount of things the buildings can be used for as they cannot be renovated or sold as apartments to the public. My hope is that the place can be used to socialize and meet new people, where it is possible to momentarily disconnect from the real world and from technology. This is important as technology develops and people are extremely focused on their careers. An example of what the world is heading to is that it is possible to have a relationship with AI. Some people who are single just start talking with an AI-generated voice and claim that it is their partner. Another example is the decreased contact between people, as for instance, many hotels now use a self-check-in and check-out system in which it is possible to get a room in a hotel without engaging with any staff. Finally, there is a lot of globalization which will continue to grow, as people are constantly travelling has become easy and people are constantly flying to various places. 

At the next meeting, we were given papers describing various trends like "minimalism" or "green cities" and we had to choose fifteen which we liked the most. We then discussed why we chose the options and how we think these trends can be integrated into the future. For example, there will be trees in buildings and only reusable energy. We then had to come up with ideas of what the Wesola District will look like in 2050 and create a poster. My group chose a city in which ecology and relationships are favoured. In the next class, we continued working on these posters. My group came up with the idea of babies being injected with chloroplasts so that they can carry out photosynthesis to produce our own food so that scarce resources don't have to be wasted and to release oxygen into the air to stop climate change. The district would be used as the center at which the babies are injected. We also suggested that the work days would be four days long so that people can spend more time with their families and friends. Everyone then presented their posters and the ideas were discussed with the whole class. Hence, this allowed me to be a communicator, a thinker and an inquirer as everyone's ideas were discussed and a lot of creativity was involved. A difficulty we faced was coming up with innovative ideas that have not been thought of already and that would be evolutionary to the world. However, I think this project has been allowing me to expand my creative thinking skills and to think outside the box. Overall, I liked working in groups as I learned new things from others and our ideas could be shared, however, it was sometimes difficult to integrate everyone's ideas into the overall design of the district.

An ethical concern is the amount of paper used for the project as this means more trees are being cut down, which is devastating for the environment and contributes to global warming. To reduce these effects, recycled paper should be used.

We will then be forming a model of the future Wesola District based on our ideas. This is exciting, but it may be also challenging. 

During the next reunion, we had to think about what the Wesola District would look like in 2050, and then compare it to how it could look like by 2035. With my group, we suggested that in 2050, the Wesola District would hold the official company at which the babies would be injected with chloroplast and that the company would start expanding worldwide. By that point, most people would be treated with these injections. However, the model we had to make was based on 2035, and at that point, my group and I predicted that the Wesola District would be where various laboratory tests would be carried out, including animal testing. Animals would be injected with chloroplasts by scientists to see whether the science works. The Wesola District would also act as a farm where the animals could live and would be open to the public so that the animals could be visited and progress observed. However, there could be ethical concerns regarding animal testing. 

The model was made with playdough and paper and shows the Wesola District as a farm and a scientist injecting animals with chloroplast, which is why some are green. Making it was very entertaining, however, it was sometimes difficult to craft certain animals accurately, like the monkeys. Additionally, everyone had different ideas so it was sometimes challenging ensuring everyone contributed their ideas into the model. However, I found that through efficient communication it was easier to satisfy everyone's suggestions and it made the model more interesting. The model will be presented at an exhibition Wesola will be making in the near future which makes the project very significant as others might consider our ideas. 

The final meeting involved discussing final ideas and filling in a worksheet with a description of our plan for the Wesola District in the upcoming years, which were discussed previously. This allowed for the ideas to be organised into one document, making it clearer for people looking at the model. 

I very much enjoyed this project as it has made me a thinker, open-minded and a communicator as we came up with ideas which could help eradicate global warming,  a major issue in today's world, and discussed potential solutions together. Working as a team is crucial as everyone always has unique ideas, which can be combined to form something greater. However, it was sometimes difficult to incorporate everyone's ideas or to imagine the District in such a distant time frame. Nevertheless, I think this project has made me more inventive and aware of my surroundings, as we worked to come up with solutions to make the Wesola District a revolutionary place, where new technology can be developed, while still allowing people to visit the District for leisure. I strongly believe that if a group effort is made, the world can be made a better place for everyone.