Futuring and trust; A prospective approach to designing trusted futures via a comparative study among design future models

The design of the future is the design of trust in relation to uncertainty and risk. In this paper we introduce Prospective Design via a comparative study between existing design future approaches. In this study, we outlined their limitations and propose a mixed methodology aimed at combining and enhancing different approaches to present an integrative model that aims to reconcile different perspectives and improve the main task of design in our unpredictable and exponential technological age: designing trust in prospective futures.

Futuring and trust; A prospective approach to designing trusted futures via a comparative study among design future models

The design of the future is the design of trust in relation to uncertainty and risk. Although you cannot completely eliminate uncertainty and risk, as they are intrinsic of futures, trust operates as a category to mitigate and reducing uncertainty and risk by enabling methods to address them. In this paper we introduce Prospective Design via a comparative study between existing design future methodologies. In this study, we outlined their limitations and propose a mixed methodology aimed at combining and enhancing different approaches to present an integrative model that aims to reconcile different perspectives and improve the main task of design in our unpredictable and exponential technological age: designing trust in prospective futures

RCA/Futuring; A decade of future(s) research at the Royal College of Art

Building from a preliminary study, we state that Design has become indistinguishable from the future. In this paper we present ten years of research at the Royal College of Art at the intersection of this paradigm via a comparative study between five different design future approaches emerging from the College; Speculative Design (SD), Co-Speculative Design (CoS), Cybernetics Design (CyD), Prospective Design (PrD), and Xenodesign (XnD). In this study, we outlined diagrammatically their propositions, as well as the fundamental areas of enquiry; projection understanding, participation, and chang

Climate, Science and Society

Climate, Science and Society: A Primer makes cutting-edge research on climate change accessible to student readers. The primer consists of 37 short chapters organized within 11 parts written by Science and Technology Studies (STS) and other social science scholars. It covers a range of key topics including communication, justice and inequality, climate policy, and energy transitions, situating each one within the context of STS studies. Each reading translates a focused area of climate change research into short, accessible, and lively prose. Chapter authors open debates where relevant, consider policy implications, critique existing areas of research, and otherwise situate their reading within a larger body of research relevant to climate change courses. Designed as a jumping-off point for further exploration, this innovative book will be essential reading for students studying climate change, STS, environmental sociology, and environmental sciences

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development is edited by Landcare Research scientists Bob Frame, Richard Gordon and Claire Mortimer and is a collection of research findings, stories and tools exploring five key areas of capacity required for New Zealand’s long-term success. It covers innovative research undertaken with businesses, across policy sectors, communities and individuals and was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

Sensemaking and time : the role of functions of subjective time in prospective sensemaking

Prospective sensemaking can invoke multiple temporalities (past, present, and future), and thus the concept of time and temporality becomes pivotal in its realm. Extant studies have galvanized around the retrospective sensemaking and objective time, while the prospective sensemaking and functions of subjective time have remained undertheorized with a distinct lack of empirical evidence. This thesis examines the influence of the three functions of subjective time (Attending, Preparing and Comprehending), on the way managers at the top-level management make sense of uncertainty and strategize amidst them. A deeper understanding between the sensemaking and three functions of subjective time has been made using 39 semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with the top-level managers in different organizations. This thesis contributes to the theory on sensemaking, by establishing that the three functions of subjective time and the interactions between them, work across past, present, and future temporal zones, in making the prospective sense of uncertainties, where strategies are also enacted.Prospective sensemaking can invoke multiple temporalities (past, present, and future), and thus the concept of time and temporality becomes pivotal in its realm. Extant studies have galvanized around the retrospective sensemaking and objective time, while the prospective sensemaking and functions of subjective time have remained undertheorized with a distinct lack of empirical evidence. This thesis examines the influence of the three functions of subjective time (Attending, Preparing and Comprehending), on the way managers at the top-level management make sense of uncertainty and strategize amidst them. A deeper understanding between the sensemaking and three functions of subjective time has been made using 39 semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with the top-level managers in different organizations. This thesis contributes to the theory on sensemaking, by establishing that the three functions of subjective time and the interactions between them, work across past, present, and future temporal zones, in making the prospective sense of uncertainties, where strategies are also enacted

Craft-oriented hybrid analogue/digital practices; their values and our future relations with technology

This paper focuses on a hybrid digital/analogue making project that sought to investigate the aesthetic opportunities that digital design and production technologies holds for the craftsperson. It is presented as a demonstration of how a disruptive craft-based approach to engaging with digital making tools can act as a stimulus to reconsider the relationship between hand and machine, and our wider relationship with technologies and how we assess their role and value. Through challenging some assumptions about what digital technologies are ‘good’ for, it proposes a digital craft ethos that aspires to: fidelity not accuracy, sensitive making not efficient manufacturing, affective not effective technologies, to augment existing practices not replace established ways of working, uniqueness not infinite replicability, and continual ‘hands-on’ interaction with tools not full automation. Taking this digital craft ethos beyond the boundaries of the sector, the paper will conclude with an argument that our relationship with making technologies needs to evolve. If we continue to only use an established industrially focused myopic lens to view and assess the value of all technologies, (i.e. their productive efficiency, their speed, and their ability to accurately achieve predetermined goals), then as automation and machine learning have an increasing impact on labour markets and work, questions arise such as; what is the future of making? and what can, and do we want, our roles to be

Data-Driven Innovation in the Creative Industries

The creative industries – the place where art, business, and technology meet in economic activity – have been hugely affected by the relatively recent digitalisation (and often monetisation) of work, home, relationships, and leisure. Such trends were accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This edited collection examines how the creative industries can be supported to make best use of opportunities in digital technology and data-driven innovation.Since digital markets and platforms are now essential for revenue generation and audience engagement, there is a vital need for improved data and digital skills in the creative and cultural sectors. Taking a necessarily global perspective, this book explores the challenges and opportunities of data-driven approaches to creativity in different contexts across the arts, cultural, and heritage sectors. Chapters reach beyond the platforms and approaches provided by the technology sector to delve into the collaborative work that supports innovation around the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral issues that emerge where data infrastructures and approaches meet creativity.A novel intervention that uniquely centres the role of data in the theory and practice of creative industries’ innovation, this book is valuable reading for those researching and studying the creative economy as well for those who drive investment for the creative industries in a digitalised society