Remote work has become part of everyday life, and digital tools are only making it more dominant. But what does this shift mean for people in the long run? Out of Office (OOO) looks at the hidden costs of a highly digitalised work culture: blurred boundaries, constant surveillance, and the risk of losing what makes us human. The project asks whether a future built only on efficiency and technology is the one we truly want, and what kind of balance between work, life, and humanity we should strive for.
So, what kind of work future are we creating?
OOO takes the form of a future office desk, filled with strange and slightly absurd discursive objects. Each object seems to solve a problem, but at the same time exposes new risks. The Mouse Treadmill promises productivity but raises questions about surveillance and control. The Work-Life Balance Clock tries to measure well-being but risks turning life into numbers. The Face-Set Lens helps you manage your online image, but at what cost to authenticity? Designed with humour and exaggeration, these speculative artefacts act as conversation starters rather than real solutions. Developed through sketches, feedback sessions, and exhibition experiments, OOO uses playful design fiction to reflect back the challenges we face in the present, that is making them more visible, tangible, and debatable.
By exaggerating the tools of remote work, OOO highlights how today’s digital choices may shape tomorrow’s workplaces. The project fits within the theme Digital Future by showing how unchecked efficiency and technology could create futures that feel less human. Visitors are encouraged to laugh, question, and reflect on whether this is the direction we want to take. At the same time, OOO admits its limits: the imagined futures are intentionally conservative, closely linked to current trends. While this makes them easy to relate to, it also means the scenarios risk being too close to reality. Still, the absurdity of the objects opens up important discussions about more sustainable, inclusive, and human-centred ways of working.
