Conference Agenda
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PAPERS: Care Infrastructures: Designing with, through, and as Care Location: 50 George Square, G.03 Zoom Link Accessibility: https://www.accessable.co.uk/the-university-of-edinburgh/central-area/access-guides/george-square-50 Session Chair: Danielle Lake, Elon University Session Chair: Sine Celik, Delft University of Technology | |
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Participatory design as emotional infrastructure: Supporting collective reflection and resilience after the pandemic University of Southampton, United Kingdom COVID-19 has left enduring emotional distress for many citizens even as public attention to the crisis has faded. In this context, participatory design (PD) is increasingly recognised as a dialogic and restorative practice that enables collective reflection and emotional recovery through shared meaning-making. This study examines how participatory design supports citizens in reflecting on pandemic-related psychological distress, with particular attention to war metaphors widely used in governmental and media communications during COVID-19. While these metaphors mobilised collective action, they also intensified perceptions of risk and vulnerability. The research is based on a year-long participatory design project, W&M, involving nine participants, including the author, who experience mysophobia. Through visual ethnography, reflective dialogue, and collaborative workshops, participants explored how personal anxieties intersected with crisis narratives. The study proposes a four-stage framework—understanding, intervention, transformation, and impact—demonstrating participatory design’s potential to foster post-crisis reflection and collective emotional resilience. View Paper: https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.945
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