permaculture design certificate - day twelve - the finale!

Phew the twelfth and final day of the permaculture design certificate (and yes I made it! I'm now licensed to use the word 'permaculture' in what I may do and say and join in the greater worldwide permy network - something I think will increase in importance considering the direction my work is taking....)




Today it was time to present our group designs as the final part of the PDC.....


Our design trio consisted of myself, Massi (a young italian guy currently staying/working at a local organic vege garden) and Gayle (a public servant, vegan and active member of the ACT Greens - and it was her Yass garden we attempted to redesign.)

Here's our draft working design (worked on the previous day...).....

its rough and ready - (time was a premium - we only had roughly 6 hours from brief to completed drawing) but our 'collage approach' (yep I introduced the non-arty folk to the joys of collage...) gave us an idea of where we were going to against Gayle's wish list ....


 Here's our final drawing.....

 

Then we had to give a 20 min presentation explaining our design choices.... (I almost did a nervous up-chuck waiting for our turn!) Certificates were dispensed, contacts gathered, and then it was over..... well at least the course was over.... the real journey in permaculture is now about to begin.

Prior to undertaking the course I had already considered myself amongst the enlightened converted but as the course progressed I felt myself undergoing an enormous paradigm shift. Permaculture is simultaneously practical and esoterically philosophical... it is all-encompassing, engaging all the senses and involving the micro- to macro-scale. I had anticipated permaculture becoming an active ingredient in my artworks and practice - at least in terms of this project, but quite frankly the PDC has blown that simple 'ambition' completely out of the water - permaculture will be, from this time onward, the foundation upon which I will conduct myself in the world.

The ethical basis of permaculture: Care for the Earth, Care for People, Fair Share - is really so straight forward that its hard to figure out why the whole world hasn't turned permy already....

 

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