Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.22029/oc.2023.1353
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Prototypes as future artifacts of today: Towards prototyping alternative futures
Autor Matzner, N. ORCID logo ; Thiel-Woznica, M.; Tost, J.; Weller, K.
Quelle On_Culture: The Open Journal for the Study of Culture
Erscheinungsjahr 2024
Department SUSOZ
Band/Volume 15
Seite von 1
Seite bis 25
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords Prototype; future; critical and speculative design; imaginaries; urban mobility
Abstract The design of sociotechnical futures relies on institutionalized visions but also onmaterial artifacts. In this context, prototypes are a materialized means of explorationof potential futures. This article explores interdependencies between irritations byprototypes and critical/speculative design and argues that prototypes problematize abalance between feasibility and their potential for irritation, i.e. being incited to actdifferently by a prototype that does not fit into familiar practices (e.g. flying cars).We investigate the significance of the feasibility-irritation tension, first, by analyzing two case studies of prototypes from urban mobility as examples of technical fea-sibility in marketing and testing environments, and second, by contrasting them tothe notion of prototypes as deliberately irritating artifacts within critical and specula-tive design practices. We offer a perspective for understanding their transformativepotential. Our discussion shows how prototypes, as they are used in speculative de-sign, might open new negotiation spaces instead of limiting futures to what seemsfeasible. New, irritating prototypes highlight a contingency, which is necessary toopenly discussing feasible and fictional futures together. 
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30142
Matzner, N., Thiel-Woznica, M., Tost, J., Weller, K. (2024):
Prototypes as future artifacts of today: Towards prototyping alternative futures
On_Culture 15 , 1 - 25 10.22029/oc.2023.1353