The New, the Old, and the Habitual: A Design Anthropological Outlook on the Question of Time

Abstract The article draws from a design anthropology project in community mental health services with “Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller” communities to reflect on the value of designing with the past. Drawing on anthropological understanding and framing of temporalities, the article argues the need for design to engage with time more holistically, including dealing with the past. The past could be considered a (so-far) unused material for design, a source of creativity, and a crucial dimension for framing and enhancing agency and action toward the future.