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- Convenors:
-
Stefanie Holzheu
(Futurium gGmbH)
Karena Kalmbach (Futurium)
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- Format:
- Making & Doing
Short Abstract
This session presents open workshop materials for speculating about futures grounded in scientific and technological developments. Participants will explore, test and discuss participatory methods for science communication and reflect on how such practices can contribute to STS research.
Description
This Making & Doing session introduces a participatory and reflexive method for speculating about futures - a way of engaging publics with scientific and technological developments through grounded imagination. Building on and expanding Futuriums Zukunftsbox concept - an educational toolkit containing modular materials such as cards, prompts and activity guides- the materials invite participants to explore emerging research trajectories in fields such as AI, biotechnology, climate engineering, and neuroscience, and to translate them into tangible, discussable futures.
The method draws on the morphological box to structure speculative combinations of social, ecological and technological parameters. Each combination becomes a seed for conversation - not to predict outcomes, but to reflect critically on the assumptions, values, and imaginaries embedded in science and innovation. Through these exercises, speculation becomes a tool for futures literacies, participatory science communication, and reflexive inquiry within STS.
During the session, participants will engage hands-on with the materials, generate their own constellations and discuss both the conceptual underpinnings and practical applications of the method. The activity aims to open dialogue on how participatory speculation can operate as a research practice as well as how it can produce insights about public reasoning and imagination.
All workshop materials are provided as open educational resources, designed to be easily replicated and adapted for classrooms, museums or community settings. The session also invites critical feedback: What can we improve? How can such speculative, evidence-based approaches strengthen STS’s contribution to futures literacies and science communication?