My former colleague Heather Snyder-Quinn and I conceived this trip in 2020. Rewilding in Patagonia brought DePaul students to remote areas in southern Chile undergoing natural restoration through the removal of dams, fences, and reintroduction of plants and wildlife. Witnessing the effects of climate change and environmental destruction through extractive practices, students reflected on the wider implications of consumer culture in the United States. Students also backpacked, scrambled up mountainsides, and visited local farms practicing permaculture and other, more traditional farming techniques in Chile.
As a metaphor, design students were asked to consider the implications of rewilding in their own design practices. Upon returning from the trip, students practiced their new creative process through the development of speculative national parks (the national park of the 21st century). This work (currently in development) is concurrently being incorporated into a NASA grant studying agriculture and the outdoors.
Launch website »