Ecologies Otherwise

Mapping Ontological, Speculative, and Transition Design Discourses

Bibliographic Data

ID12922240
AuthorsTanushri Saha (corresponding author), EREZ NUSEM (0000-0001-9436-0856)
Year2024
Volume16
Issue2
Pages191-210
Publication date2024-04-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDesign and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1754-7075 • E-ISSN: 1754-7083
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17547075.2024.2335429
OpenAlexW4394962890
LanguageEN
References cited36

This paper examines three emergent theories of design that situate ecological change within paradigm shifts: namely ontological design, speculative design, and transition design. Using Foucault's quadrilateral approach to analyzing discursive formations, it is argued that each theory of design offers a qualitative reframing of the primary problem underlying ecological crisis: respectively, the designed object, imaginative constraint, and systemic issues. In light of each unique orientation to ecological crisis, these three theories advance new ways of designing: redirecting practice in pursuit of more sustainable futures; engaging audiences in hypothetical questions about what might be; or re-envisioning new lifestyles through continuous systemic shift. In analyzing the difference within and between each theoretical discourse, this paper contributes to ecological dialogue in design, offering designers a map of dynamic approaches for reframing and responding to complex ecological issues

Aesthetics · Epistemology · Sociology · Transition (genetics · Architecture and Computational Design · Chemistry · Environmental, Ecological, and Cultural Studies · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Philosophy

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