The realisation of this research will take the form of an “Artefact.” The Artefact embodies more than just a design object—it represents a tangible narrative, a piece of speculative history rooted in cultural and environmental context.
The term “Artefact” evokes a sense of time, place, and story, aligning with my project’s exploration of the city’s future and the decolonisation of water governance. It reflects the idea that this is not simply a functional design, but a symbol of transformation, a relic from an imagined future.
This Artefact invites reflection, questioning, and connection, grounding speculative ideas in a physical,
experiential form
Engaging Cultures Of care and the Hydro-Social Cycle
Speculative Design for Policy Making.
In pursuit of policy-shaping speculative design, I have outlined a three-step approach:
Contextual Grounding:
Link speculative design to current policies and frameworks. This helps make future scenarios more relevant and actionable by rooting them in real-world issues, ensuring speculation is connected to tangible realities.
Scenario Planning and Testing:
Develop multiple future scenarios—ranging from probable to radical—and use them in workshops to help policymakers explore different outcomes. This allows for stress-testing current policies and imagining how they might adapt to various challenges.
Prototyping Futures:
Build prototypes that embody future possibilities. These physical or interactive models make speculative ideas more concrete, offering a way for people to experience and engage with imagined futures directly.
4. MAKING
The artefact combines craft-based processes like silicon casting, laminate bending, and native plant cultivation with reclaimed materials to embody decolonisation. Timber from London plane trees is repurposed to reflect a community commitment to transforming symbols of colonisation into tools for restoration. Organic forms and the condensation net encourage mindful interaction, while native grasses create a self-sustaining system, reimagining a future built on care and sovereignty.
it is often not enough to simply present abstract ideas; instead, these ideas must be woven into tangible stories that feel authentic, engaging, and plausible.
5. OUTCOMES
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