Bricolage is the creation of a work by means of available material, and typically involves

appropriating one material for a new purpose. A lot of you have done this with your DSDs,
creating a new outfit to wear out of food material or plastic bags for example not only
utilizes this material outside of it's intended purpose, but also constructs a commentary on
the nature of the material itself. Bricolage can also apply to the process of creativity itself,
where collecting a range of ideas is encouraged, as is free association with concepts as one
might do in mind mapping.

In Steven Johnsons book Where Good Ideas Come From, he discusses the evolutionary
concept of 'exaptation' where one biological trait is adapted for an entirely new purpose.
His example in the book is bird feathers, originally purposed for warmth, were exapted for
flight. As with Johnson's concepts discussed at this point, creativity often follows a similar
pattern to biology.

Bricolage as a concept or theoretical framework applies to many fields and domains in
which creativity is key. Culturally, bricolage is seen as a phenomenon in which one idea,
icon, symbol or object is given a new use, and therefore, a new meaning. The safety pin
became an icon, a representation of the punk movement when it was transformed into a
decorative object. Applying this type of transformation requires a certain amount of
creative skill, to generate new uses for objects.

Bricolage as a technique is seen in situations where access to resources is limited, weather
due to economic or regional situations or due to design and budget constraints. It's also
seen as part of daily life in situations where experimentation is often needed. These
constraints are a good thing, as research shows, creativity flourishes when constraints are
imposed.

Another creativity technique used by artists, writers and educators that you can use to
spawn new ideas by this type of combinatorial creativity is called exquisite corpse. This is
a technique originally developed by the surrealists of the 20th century to get over creative
blocks.

In the associated PDF with this lecture you'll find some fantastic links to examples of
wonderful creative projects, including a DIY spacesuit and a landfill harmonic orchestra.