Energy Detective Notebook
Described by Asli Kolbas (author of the practice), based on Map-it (Huybrechts et al, 2012)Description
Context
The Energy Detective Notebook is a playing exercise developed for a group of youth during one of the play session at the Youth Center, GIGOS Nieuw Kempen.
Description
This tool was developed during the ReWorlding project for youth to observe and record energy use in their homes, asking about specific items and habits. This approach, potentially utilising visual aids like stickers to bridge language barriers, fostered tangible engagement and anchored the abstract concept of energy usage to their lived experiences. It built upon initial observations and contributed to the iterative development of project tools.
This exercise was observed to be a fun one, but due to being one of the first attempts, we could not capture too much of their attention and having paper and pen could have felt like a homework task.
Engagement with more-than-human entities
This project demonstrates indirect engagement with more-than-human entities through the mediation of energy flows and domestic technologies. The youth are observing and recording energy use through household items and appliances, which act as interfaces between human activity and broader energy systems. The energy itself represents a connection to more-than-human networks - power grids, natural resources, and infrastructure systems that extend far beyond the home. However, the engagement appears primarily anthropocentric, focusing on human habits and consumption rather than explicitly recognizing the agency or relationships with non-human actors in energy systems.
Interpretation as “retracing”
Embodied knowledge: The project shows how abstract concepts (energy use) become meaningful when anchored to lived experiences and familiar spaces
Iterative tool development: The recognition that initial attempts didn't fully capture attention demonstrates the importance of responsive, adaptive research methods
Multimodal communication: The use of visual aids like stickers suggests that effective data generation may require moving beyond traditional academic formats
Temporal dimension: The project builds on "initial observations," indicating that retracing involves returning to and building upon previous engagements rather than one-off data collection
Case study
Observational recording sheets/templates for documenting energy use patterns
Template Energy detective notebook
Visual communication aids (stickers, potentially other graphic elements) to overcome language barriers
Reference
Huybrechts, L., Dreessen, K., & Schepers, S. (2012, August). Mapping design practices: on risk, hybridity and participation. In Proceedings of the 12th Participatory Design Conference: Exploratory Papers, Workshop Descriptions, Industry Cases-Volume 2 (pp. 29-32).
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