Learning Objectives
Students create speculative design prototypes and critically discuss their ideas with peers. They explore creative methods that bridge design and art using tools such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro and AI image generation to develop coherent visual concepts. Working in interdisciplinary pairs they reflect on their collaborative and individual processes in a learning journal, translating speculative thinking into actionable insights for the present. Through the use of storytelling, composition and media theory they design artefacts that provoke reflection, question the status quo and encourage audiences to engage in dialogue about possible futures.
Content
Exploring Tomorrow by Reimagining Today. What if design could change the future? In this interdisciplinary module, students explore speculative and critical design to imagine alternative futures and create visual worlds that question today’s realities. Through collaboration, experimentation, and debate, they learn to design for possibility rather than problem-solving.
Students develop futures literacy, the ability to think about tomorrow by reimagining today. They learn the concept art pipeline, image manipulation (Photoshop, AI tools, photobashing) and storytelling as a tool for world-building, crafting thought-provoking artifacts that range from images and short films to objects and installations. Along the way, they reflect on their creative process and collaboration, bridging artistic and design approaches.
The module combines hands-on workshops and theoretical input, tackling questions like: What if climate change reshaped our relationship with nature? What might a circular society look like in 2045? Projects range from speculative advertising and world-building visualizations to artifacts that provoke reflection on everyday habits and social structures.
Structured in three creative sprints: design methods, artistic methods, and hybrid approaches. The module encourages students to experiment, reflect, and present their ideas publicly. By the end, they will have created compelling speculative prototypes that engage audiences in meaningful dialogue about possible futures.
Course language
English
Lecturers
Christophe Merkle
