I was recently contacted by Molka Kouki, currently a second-year Master’s student in Research Design at the Higher Institute of Sciences and Technologies of Design. Her research topic is “Information Design as a Mediation Between Urban Practices and Spatial Conception at Beb Bhar Square.” and explores the intersection of design, urban space, usage, and social dynamics, with a particular interest in wandering practices as a lever for urban resilience.
She reached out to us for a discussion on her research to enrich her theoretical and methodological reflection, aiming to confront her hypotheses with expert insights.
“We’re trying to make a public space for the human without including the human in the process.“
-Molka Kouki
I was very glad she reached out, sharing that she had followed the activities and media of Pedestrian Space for some time.
Within minutes of starting our conversation, she had addressed the issue of how design and built environments were siloed in Tunisia and the spatial legacies and imprints of historic colonialization in public space. As the conversation progressed and she shared about her work, she reflected that “We’re trying to make a public space for the human without including the human in the process.” She also reflected on the overall lack of an urban design lab in Tunis and the goal to generate some new visual information from the pedestrian experience that could help with the perspective of newly designed or adapted pedestrian spaces.
While a cup of coffee (or two) in person while sitting at Beb Bhar Square with Molka would of course be the best ‘human connect,’ I deeply valued both Molka’s decision to write and connect and the opportunity to learn about her work. I love talking about process, just as much (if not sometimes more so) as ‘product,’ and these talks are part of process and so rich to me.
A follow-up email from Molka after our talk read:
I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to meet and for sharing your insights so generously. I am truly grateful for this exchange with you.
Our discussion had a significant impact on the way I perceive my project. Your perspective, as well as your feedback on methodologies and research approaches, has been incredibly valuable and has helped me rethink and refine several aspects of my work. I also found your overall reading of the project particularly enriching and motivating for the next steps.
This session has been very inspiring for me, and it has strengthened my engagement with the research moving forward.
I truly hope we can stay in touch, and I would be very happy to keep you updated on the development of my work. As a follow-up, here is the link to the open call for the collective workshop
I believe Molka’s outreach is a great example of personal connectivity and exchange. In this era of extreme hyperconnectivity, it’s easy to ‘follow’ multiple accounts and digest content and information on an ongoing basis, without any actual meaningful engagement. Thankfully, video meeting technology allows us the ‘personal’ touch in the matrix of this hyperconnectivity.
Thank you for reaching out, Molka, and I look forward to hearing about the development of your methodologies, work, and research.
-Annika, Pedestrian Space