What question did this study set out to answer?

The inquiry aims to explore the complex interactions between human and more-than-human relations in the context of construction on campus.

April 28, 2026Open Access

Ecologies of Making: Reimagining Place, Construction, and More-Than-Human Entanglements

Key Points

The inquiry aims to explore the complex interactions between human and more-than-human relations in the context of construction on campus.
Co-composed inquiry with children and educators at Morningside
Use of pedagogical documentation and narratives as research methods
Engaged in discussions and drawings to understand concepts of place and entanglement.
Children redefined place as a dynamic space that involves all forms of life.
Construction viewed through a lens of care and concern for the forest and its inhabitants.

Abstract

This is a co-composed inquiry with the children and educators of Morningside, a centre within SFU Childcare Society located at the top of Burnaby Mountain. Together, we explore the complex intersectionalities of human and more-than-human relations as construction occurs throughout the campus and forest as a result of the children's concern for the lives within the forest. Using pedagogical documentation and narrations as a research method and working with a critical place-based lens, we began exploring these intersections as children encounter construction, the forest, and the lives of others within these spaces. With the practice of slowing down to build our relationship to place, and constantly re-working our theories through discussions and drawing with the children, we begin to see place as more than just a fixed location for human use, but as a place in constant transformation with and for the life of others.

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