In this master’s thesis I investigate a more than-human centred design approach in theory and in practice. Exploring the potential of designing tools for regenerative forms of production serves as a framework to design for genuinely resilient, equitable, environmentally attuned material pathways. Posthuman and New Materialist theories provide the fundament to understand design as an intertwined practice. Attentive to the layered relations of human and nonhuman actors, the focus is set on local sheep breeds and shepherds in Europe and the alpine regions.

The practical aim of this project references an assembly line in the context of a material driven industrial design discourse. Prototyped tools allow to process the wool into semi-finished products (Ger.: “Halbzeuge”). Working from within the material and the systemic context of wool supply in Europe has led to the creation of three components: a Picker, a Washing Net, and Clay Felters.

Tools shape processes and outcomes; so how do I design the material processes and tools?