GERMANY

ODE TO UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME


The chains have been lifted
the chariot guides me through the forest
and then releases me
then a tiger cub reaches my side
and I have all the time in the world to cuddle and sleep next to him.
My mum is no longer poor
my brother plays the guitar.
Life is sacred,
that is the truth,
it is impossible to deny.

Partners: Elvia Vasconcelos, Köln International School of Design

Description: When design thinking currently serves the satisfaction of capitalistic subjectivities, can fiction emerge as a radical design method that creates better tech? We explored this question at a speculative design workshop called Fiction as a Critical Design Strategy in which participants were given a brief based in the short story The Book of Martha by Octavia Butler. The activity took place at the Attending to Futures Conference, organized by the Köln International School of Design.

Design brief:
  • To produce a reality that exceeds linguistic possibilities using visual representations and poetry
  • Access to transcendental art (Schrader, Tarkovsky)
  • Adopt a position in which the designer is a figure that is less of an engineer and more of a poet

External links: conference website