From my original writings about Speculative Objects, and following my Review with Mrin
Definitions
Speculative Design
Speculative design is a design practice concerned with future design proposals of a critical nature. The term was popularised by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby as a subsidiary of critical design. The aim is not to present commercially-driven design proposals but to design proposals that identify and debate crucial issues that might happen in the future. Speculative design is concerned with future consequences and implications of the relationship between science, technology, and humans. It problematizes this relation by proposing provocative future design scenarios where technology and design implications are accentuated. These design proposals are meant to trigger debates about the future rather than marketing products.
How to Use Speculative Design to Question Our New Realities
Speculative Design, Design Fiction, Critical Design- Talks about how Sichuan opera and Facebook’s Metaverse are very similar
- Bian Lian - face changing with masks, performance with mystery
- Jann is a “Digital Native”, she says “So I’m what they call a digital native. I grew up and evolved with the internet. I saw the static pages of web 1.0 turned into social media as a web 2.0 and now as we kind of edge towards web 3.0”
- We need to express ourselves online - how do we do this through a digital medium.
- Ways people show ourselves online
- Web1.0
- Natoshka Nesvanova
- most feared woman on the internet, she wasn’t a real person. “nameless nobody”
- Natoshka Nesvanova
- Virtual avatars
- CodeMiko
- Web1.0
- Tools of speculation
- ”Look towards possible futures by holding a mirror to our present… Allows us to reassess our emerging realities”
- She explores how our online personality cannot be separate from our actual personality. (7:20)
- "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." - Oscar Wilde
- This mirrors what Bratton said in Talk at 2016 Gray Area Festival.
- Created “Liân” (8:29)
- Mask that mimics facial expression by analyzing sentiment of online interactions.
- ”by shrouding the real expression of the humans it offers a moment of reflection on our unconscious behaviors, this is how we’re really feeling”
- informed by ancient Chinese art-form
- Response to mask is overwhelmingly negative (10:31)
- “in the realm of speculation provocation is often used as a tool to jolt users out of their daily lives to reflect on alternative realities so the fact that my work provoked an emotional response when people were mentally engaged and to me that’s a success
- To this point: Speculative design and fiction inspire us to debate. Designer isn't proposing solutions but offering great questions.
This dude probably loves Blade Runner, The Matrix, etc. Those are all forms of speculation that bring about real life manifestations and interpretations.
While her process is very literal and design oriented, I want to be sure to employ a process that’s more fluid and not intended to be a direct response to anything specific.