Exploring a Deer's Umwelt | Designing for Coexistence
Embodied Movement Workshop
Urban Roots Farm, Austin — with architecture students from Aleksandra Jaeschke’s studio, UT Austin
Overview
How might we design with deer in mind—rather than against them? This workshop invited architecture students to explore the perceptual and behavioral world (Umwelt) of deer through embodied movement, sensory tools, and iterative design exercises. Held at an active agricultural site frequently visited by deer, the session aimed to foster empathy and inspire designs that support multispecies coexistence in shared landscapes.
Workshop Flow
1. Initial Design Brief
Students sketched preliminary concepts for human-deer coexistence—typically emphasizing control (barriers, separation).
2. Embodiment Tools
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Dichromatic lenses — to simulate deer vision
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Antlers — to experience spatial navigation and social signaling
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Movement prompts — for smell-driven awareness, spatial caution, and energetic movement
3. Movement Session
Participants engaged in embodied prompts:
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Standing still and sensing threats
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Walking slowly with rotating imagined ears
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Sniffing ground and plants for food or danger
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Antler contact for social interaction
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Energetic bounding and evasive movement
4. Reflection & Redesign
Following the movement session, students reworked their designs—shifting from defensive structures to habitat connectivity, sensory-based guidance, and mutual benefit.
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“Embodying a deer’s movement deepened my understanding of spatial needs, natural pathways, and sensory cues, inspiring designs that prioritize habitat connectivity and minimize human-wildlife conflicts.”
“Deer may need more space to roam freely rather than specific paths–their movement can be unpredictable. I now think about creating more open, shared spaces where both people and deer feel comfortable and safe, with clear sightlines that help deer navigate without fear.”
Initially, students explore coexistence strategies in early design sketches and then movement session starts.
Through this workshop, I observed how embodied movement reshaped participants’ perception of space and design. Simple acts like slowing down, sniffing, or adjusting one’s gait heightened attention to environmental cues often overlooked in conventional design processes. Yet embodiment alone wasn’t enough—structured reflection and design prompts were essential to help students translate these sensory experiences into thoughtful design strategies. I also noticed how playfulness and openness—especially in a supportive setting like the farm—encouraged deeper engagement and creativity. Importantly, this process isn’t about mimicking another species, but about fostering a more attentive, humble way of perceiving the world. Multispecies design is not about designing for animals in an anthropocentric way, but rather about designing with an awareness of their sensory experiences and needs.
Through this workshop, I observed how embodied movement reshaped participants’ perception of space and design. Simple acts like slowing down, sniffing, or adjusting one’s gait heightened attention to environmental cues often overlooked in conventional design processes. Yet embodiment alone wasn’t enough—structured reflection and design prompts were essential to help students translate these sensory experiences into thoughtful design strategies. I also noticed how playfulness and openness—especially in a supportive setting like the farm—encouraged deeper engagement and creativity. Importantly, this process isn’t about mimicking another species, but about fostering a more attentive, humble way of perceiving the world. Multispecies design is not about designing for animals in an anthropocentric way, but rather about designing with an awareness of their sensory experiences and needs.
Finally
Through this workshop, I observed how embodied movement reshaped participants’ perception of space and design. Simple acts like slowing down, sniffing, or adjusting one’s gait heightened attention to environmental cues often overlooked in conventional design processes. Yet embodiment alone wasn’t enough—structured reflection and design prompts were essential to help students translate these sensory experiences into thoughtful design strategies. I also noticed how playfulness and openness—especially in a supportive setting like the farm—encouraged deeper engagement and creativity. Importantly, this process isn’t about mimicking another species, but about fostering a more attentive, humble way of perceiving the world. Multispecies design is not about designing for animals in an anthropocentric way, but rather about designing with an awareness of their sensory experiences and needs.
Embodiment Tools
Participants wear antlers and dichromatic lenses to simulate deer perception.
“As a deer, I have needs—and they aren’t dictated by human rules.”
Standing Still
Walking slowly, freezing or retreating when sensing threats. Locating sounds with imagined rotating ears.
“The workshop made me reflect on animals as co-owners of space, not just background users.”
“I think my biggest takeaway is to really think about and consider the stakeholders in the design that can’t express their needs and wants through words.”
Being Aware of the Space
Sniffing ground and plants to detect food or danger.
Building Familiarity
Exploring space and others through gentle antler contact.
“Deer is our co-owner rather than enemy.”
“Trying to feel what a deer feels—low vision, cautious movement, sensing scent cues—was disorienting and powerful.”
Energetic Moments
Bounding, chasing, shifting direction quickly
