Narratives in Biodesign - Bridging Methods, Processes and Tools

This workshop invites participants interested in biodesign to build new connections and crossovers between diverse disciplines. The aim of the workshop is to collaboratively investigate and reflect on alternative design modes (transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary design) that are rooted in biological materials, systems, experiences, and interactions. This investigation is necessary, to enable practitioners in addressing complex contemporary societal challenges from alternative perspectives. This workshop provides a complementary perspective to previous initiatives by focusing on the process of biodesign(ing). Participants explore state-of-the-art biodesign tools, strategies, methods and approaches to showcase and build narratives in biodesign. The workshop consists of brief inspirational talks by the organisers and interactive facilitated sessions where participants explore, discuss and produce their own narratives. Biodesign narratives aim to support design practitioners and researchers in gaining an overview of the field for carrying out further work, getting insights into the field, building connections and demystifying biodesign for new members of the community. By bringing focus on new and alternative narratives of biodesign, the workshop will challenge existing paradigms that position ‘Human’ in the centre of the design process. We explore and propose alternative modes for biodesign that reflect its potential to create impact on larger-than-human scale through integration of temporal factors, alternative (to human) perspectives and contexts. The workshop offers and questions biodesign support tools, processes and methods available now and possibly in the future. These will be summarised to incite future research on biodesign processes. The organisers welcome participants from diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise. Previous experience with biodesign and narrative building is useful, but not essential.