Francesca Toso (UT), Sebastian Cmentowski (TU/e), Eric Gu (TUD), Roberta Antognini (UT), Erik van der Spek (TU/e)

In his letters from prison, the Italian philosopher, politician, intellectual and antifascist Antonio Gramsci said “My mind is pessimistic, but my will is optimistic”. With events affecting the global population these days, our stands are grounded in the impact that each ones’ action can make. Through words of kindness, recognition of other-hood and invitation to participate, we aim to represent a call-for-action for designers: now more than ever we decide to act through participation, connection, communication. Our project selection aims to reflect a critical perspective on emerging technologies, exploring how machine learning of emotions, digital twinning and speculative scenarios can guide a reflection on how we want our futures to be, and drive the follow-up decisions. Another core point revolves around the impact that our design choices have on environments and society, sustaining specific forms of industry that are more - or less - attentive to their ecological footprints. Eventually, we believe designers can be allies in this call for change. We’re not doomed yet if we actively participate, being critical towards mainstream narratives, provoking through action-based insights, and sustaining a togetherness of narratives.

The selected projects bridge the topics of this theme: the section Equal society focuses on the representation of diverse communities and design methodologies that ensure participation beyond the representation of western culture and normative perspectives; while the section Politics of Design focuses on projects whose interactivity sparks reflection on individual behaviors and invites active responses. 

This is embodied by projects that act as Critical Tools and Future Narratives. The Behavioural Mirror and Ævox create speculative, tangible experiences to make the ethical stakes of data governance and AI policymaking visceral, challenging systemic logics of optimisation and exclusion. Conversely, initiatives like Shared Ground, Towards Inclusive Gastronomy, and Embodied Ecologies demonstrate participatory world-building in action, using co-creative methods—from snack-table interviews and experience prototypes to air flow simulations—to reclaim agency and design for tangible change within communities. These works collectively move beyond critique, offering frameworks to actively co-author the values embedded in our technological and social futures.

While we cannot escape reality, we can steer its design through today's actions. The invite to an active participation will be the core of the activities we propose during the dialogue session at the Dutch Design Week.

How can we transform the limitations given by the times we live in into acts of collective resistance through our design choices?