Conference Agenda

Rarely does speculative socially engaged design reflectively compare different approaches. This paper reflects on two speculative socially engaged design projects that employ materials-based participatory methods to explore the supports and barriers to the continuity of healthcare and the remediation of environmental pollution. The first project, TheChange@Work, engaged hospital staff and outpatients in exploring menopause-related workplace stigma through colour, collage, and textiles, to reflect on diverse experiences of dynamic hormones. The second project, From Waste to Care, involved communities in 3D-printing ceramics from coal ash waste, addressing the remediation of toxic materials remaining from energy production. We analyse the blind spots in current framings of health and environmental challenges identified in the workshops. Our reflections on these projects provide a fruitful comparison of our approaches and deepen our understanding of what we learnt from participants about dynamic hormones and the reuse of fossil-fuel waste to counter eco-social challenges.