Abstract
As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, we are met with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about our collective futures and identities. We question the power structures and systems that underlie the fabric of our life—whether capitalist, religious, alien, or otherworldly, and wonder about their influence over our future rights and freedoms. The student projects featured in this presentation offer alternate ways of considering the idea of a “nation” and use design fiction to create provocations to unsettle the present limitations of our minds. From peaceful utopias to unsettling technocratic states ruled by FAAGM*, Worldbuilding: Fictional Nation Designs from the Past, Present, and Future presents an array of speculative societies that exist across time. From the revisionist history of the utopian nation of Föhn located in the quiet mountainous sanctum in the Alps; the futuristic land of Delta—a colonized stratosphere, inhabited by evolved human lifeforms; the otherworldly nation of Holy Land—an afterlife devoid of earthly freedoms; to the technocratic nations of Primeland, The Nation of Fulfillment, and The District of Google Drive, these nation’s narratives are explored through “real” artifacts (flags, currency, uniforms, food) and “factual” accounts (public brand manifestos, style guides, and historical guidebooks) chronicling evolution, social unrest, customs, governments, design systems, speculative interfaces, and more. We present both the plausible and impossible within these stories, hoping to convey a taste of the many possibilities our future world(s) can hold.
Presenters
Lee ZelenakLecturer, School of Design, DePaul University, Illinois, United States Heather Snyder Quinn
Assistant Professor, Design, DePaul University, Illinois, United States Heather Snyder-Quinn
Graphic Design and UX Faculty, DePaul University, School of Design
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design, Education, Nation Design, Worldbuilding, Civic Design, Micronations, Symbolism
