Nothing is Impossible

What is this speculative design? A broad topic, it is something that is more than just the problem solving that is drummed into us in college. It is about imagining, dreaming, and forging a future that we would like to see. Designing not for the possible, but for what is preferable or plausible.

Pieces of speculative design can sometimes come across as art, with pieces igniting conversations, provoking emotion (good and bad) and causing outrage from time to time. The pieces can be absurd, from the ridiculous (Tobias Wong’s “Shitting Gold”), entertaining and even just to suspend belief for a brief period of time.

Some of the most outlandish and memorable attempts at speculative design are the ones that cause humour or emotional reactions. From the “Shitting Gold” of Tobias Wong, a tablet of gold flake that does exactly what it says on the tin, to the “Snotty Vase” of Marcel Williams, modelled off high speed mucus, these pieces are memorable due to their dirty nature. The humour of these pieces makes them something that we can all have a laugh at, and also think about them as design pieces.

One of my personal favourite products of the genre is the “365 Knitting Clock” by Siren Elise Wilheimsen. This piece takes one full year to knit a 2 metre scarf, with a stitch being knitted once a day. This can be used to highlight movement of time, and is a very thought provoking piece.

Some of the best known speculative designs are concept cars, something made by the automotive industries to try and show what the technology we either have, or will have, can do. From the more minimalistic and simple ideas to the complex, these cars show great levels of detail into the possible futures of personal vehicles. Such an example is the BMW “Gina” designed by Chris Bangle. This car is one that has a skeletal structure rather than the usual rigid frame of the average car.

The idea of speculative design is something that is difficult to get to grips with, but one that is very intriguing. Designing through sheer interest is something that seems very interesting to me, and can lead to very thought provoking and conversational pieces.