Conference Agenda

Reflecting the posthuman shift in Design, More-than-Human (MtH) temporality has emerged as a critical dimension of how we could design with other-than-human beings. Building on theoretical discourses calling to reevaluate concepts of Western time (Bastian, 2009), and to incorporate plural perspectives of time (Eschrich et al., 2025; Rifkin, 2017), this session will explore practical approaches to engage with MtH temporalities through time as an experience of kinship (Vaughan-Lee, 2024; Whyte, 2021). Kinship time, building on the concept of “kincentric ecologies” in which humans perceive all natural elements of an ecosystem as kin (Salmon, 2000), is an understanding of time not as uniform, linear units but as shifts in kinship relationships, calling for an ethics of shared responsibility and interdependence (Whyte, 2021).  

Our session will examine the potential of embodied and in situ approaches to foster reflection on kinship time and temporal interactions with MtH, and identify tensions and opportunities in Design for future engagements, fostering more diverse notions of MtH time. It is part of a broader research that asks how, through collaborative, embodied, exploratory activities, we can develop new forms of attunement to temporalities beyond Western-centric frameworks, and how place-based, kin-centric approaches can support the emergence of new temporal MtH relationships. 

Specifically, the session will build on existing approaches engaging with MtH temporalities, such as visual mapping and participatory design (Zohar et al., 2024), the MtH Temporal Ontologies' booklet (Nisi et al., 2026), and meditation practices on kinship time (Vaughan-Lee, 2024), allowing us to interact with MtH temporalities at multiple scales and accounting for changes over various timeframes, such as historical growth cycles or future migratory patterns. We will introduce participants to an exploratory design-based probe packet for reflecting on MtH temporalities and kinship to ground conversation, exploration and discussion. Together, participants will cooperatively materialize artefacts that represent their understanding of and encounters with MtH temporalities in the form of a mobile sculpture. This kinetic artefact, materialising kinship time relationships in the landscape, will prompt further exploration of time’s materiality and of humans' responsibilities in fostering those relationships, as well as unpack the tensions and opportunities for engaging with MtH temporalities through design.