OVERVIEW

Shaker-made objects embody a spirit of ingenious service to the people who used them as well as to the communities in which they were used. This spirit strengthened and gave meaning to the relationship between the user and the built world around them. The things that the Shakers’ designed contributed in concert to a user experience that prioritized connectivity.

⎯

Part 1. Silence & Song: about conversation between the designer and user

“The design process is a generative conversation.” – Hugh Dubberly

“In the early Shaker world, craftspeople were the principal designers, makers and users within the same community as their consumers, and the design process was community-based.” – Scott Swank

Conversation between the designer and user was the method of design as well as the result of design. It was a force that shaped a product throughout its entire life cycle. It produced clever product affordances responding to user needs. Moving about in a Shaker-designed world today, once can still feel the attentive presence of the designer in qualities of utility, harmony, balance and economy. It’s like participating in a dialogue with the maker of the things around you.

Part 2. Trust Me: about connection to the designed world

“Every community practices the design of itself.”  – Arturo Escobar

A Shaker-deigned world was an environment of freedom, not restriction, that nudged people toward self actualization. It was a scaffolding that supported the fulfillment of one’s personal potential to serve their community.  More than a mere stage set for daily life, a Shaker village held a cast of designed objects that were “ritual participants” actively shaping movements of work, song, prayer – into Shaker culture.

Part 3. We Belong; about connection with the cosmos

“Self actualizing people are – without one single exception – involved in a cause outside their own skin, something outside of themselves. – Abraham Maslow

Connection to a shared cause, and awareness of one’s unique purpose to serve that cause, built a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself. Realization of gratitude and opportunities for meaningful reciprocation connected consumers with producers in a manner that contributed to the wellness of both.

⎯

These themes were constantly reinforced through daily interactions with Shaker-made objects. The resulting sense of connection imbued the user experience with a rich, psychological warmth that can be felt even now when visiting the handful of Shaker villages that still exist, but it’s missing in much of the designed world we inhabit today.