Advocating the potentials of Design, Research for Climate Action in a more than human world

Lynn Harles
Design researcher, curator

Terms such as ‘multispecies studies’ or ‘multispecies justice’ are calling for a change in human-centred knowledge production. This also has consequences for the design disciplines. How can the hierarchical separation of humans and nature be abolished in design? Is sustainable design only possible if other species and ecosystems are also included in design processes? The simultaneity of these developments also includes the design discipline. Approaches and new terms such as ‘multispecies design’, ‘interspecies design’ or ‘more-than-human design’ are gaining importance in current discourses and design projects. These approaches break with the human-centred tradition of design and reinterpret the role of design as a mediator between humans and nature. The proponents of these approaches are convinced that sustainable design is only possible if not only the needs of humans, but also those of ecosystems and other species are at the centre of design processes. These approaches thus take current discourses on the responsibility of design in the context of ecological sustainability to a new level. Instead of utilising nature as a source of inspiration or material (as in bionics or circular design), they call for designing with nature and primarily for its needs. This poses a series of new questions and challenges for design. After all, if a river and ecosystems have their own rights, how can they participate in the design process on an equal footing?

Regenerative Futures and Data Storytelling for Sustainable Worlds

Nicole Loeser
Art curator and cultural entrepreneur

As environmental challenges intensify, the demand for long-term, regenerative thinking has never been more critical. Nicole Loeser, art curator, PhD student at Film University Babelsberg, and director at the Institute for Art and Innovation (IFAI), focuses on the intersection of art, science, and technology to drive sustainable transformation. Nicole’s work emphasizes transdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate systemic change integrating methodologies such as Futures Literacy, Design Thinking, World Building, and Speculative and Social Design, which enable deep explorations of future scenarios and innovative solutions.

Projects she initiated like the Art for Futures Lab and Ocean Future Lab exemplify Nicole’s approach, using Data Storytelling and Data Fiction to craft compelling narratives that guide audiences toward desirable futures. These initiatives employ formats like short films, XR experiences, and social media campaigns, not only raising awareness but also engaging participants in transformative learning processes. At the Holitopia Festival, Nicole will share insights from these projects, offering new perspectives on how Regenerative Futures can be cultivated through art and innovation.

Design informed by Science, Multsensorial Design, Sensuous Peripheries

Dr. Caroline McMillan
Design researcher, technologist

Sensory design inspires ways of negotiating the world through touch, sound, smell, taste, and bodily position. In the spaces that emerge between design and science, multisensory experiences translate perception and emotion to explore the relational aspects of technologies with cultural, historical, and political questions. Along with the risk and possibility that scent communicates, designing with and through the sense of smell invites our imagination, cultivates memory, and supports well-being. Moved by smelling and contemplation, ‘Scentscapes’ offer aromatherapeutic architectures and applications with an ecological dimension. It is through atmospheric and temporal compositions created to tune into our inner and outer environments, that we restore bodily connections with the more-than-human in design.