Co-design: Through Visualising Waterscapes

The academic research field tends to conceptualise and categorise reality and detach it from its context to generate knowledge that is often accessible only to expert peers. Usually, these results do not return to the socio-political environment of the study object. However, knowledge production is a dynamic process where visual methodologies can play an essential role in generating specific data for research, co-creating new insights with the communities involved, and communicating findings to engage with a broader audience. In that sense, drawings can make knowledge more visible; therefore, a visual translation into a standard, understandable language can bring academia closer to society. In that context, the research work developed through the Circular Water Stories (CWS) lab aims to investigate complex traditional water systems and to translate them into understandable drawings that convey complex knowledge through a common language that different disciplines and audiences can relate to and easily understand. This essay is a personal reflection on using drawings in research as a graphic tool for conveying ideas and co-creating knowledge. Furthermore, through two concrete experiences, I explore how these visualisations can translate complex realities and information into an understandable language, returning knowledge from academia to society.