Gendered, Non-Gendered, Re-Gendered Tools for Spatial Production

The perennial question, “Can design be genderless?” is further complicated by our contingent, nuanced and transient gender identities. Our collective focus is more often upon whether spatial outcomes are gendered, rather than the gender of the processes themselves. In contrast, this paper considers to what extent our making processes are gendered and the role of linguistics in assigning gender to the tools of production. It also asks whether tools can be un-gendered, re-gendered or non-gendered, and reflects upon the need for a collective, critical awareness of the influence of gendered tools over our design processes and outcomes. It asserts the need for spatial producers – of all genders – to use un-gendered, re-gendered or non-gendered tools in order to subvert and disrupt making and maker stereotypes, and as a means critically to assess their practical utility and political influence.