METHOD
Speculative thinking is central to Frederik’s work, acting as a powerful tool to spark discussions about possible futures while encouraging critical reflection on the present. It helps guide us toward shaping the future we aspire by fostering engagement and prompting action.
As a catalyst for long-term thinking, speculative design can address complex issues often created by short-term solutions. By visualizing these subjects, it empowers a broader audience to engage with topics typically confined to expert circles, bridging the gap between specialized discourse and public understanding.
PROCESS
Although the approach varies depending on the chosen subject, the speculative design process in Frederik’s work can typically be divided into specific steps, each serving a distinct purpose within the broader framework.
Subject ● Research
Project subjects are always drawn from Frederik’s personal fascinations, which focus on rapidly advancing technologies and complex modern challenges, such as driverless vehicles, fast fashion production systems, and interplanetary living.Research is essential when delving into these topics, providing a solid foundation for development. It ensures the work remains rooted in facts, preventing a slide into fantasy while staying connected to reality.
Extrapolation ● Friction
Research findings are placed into potential futures, a process known as extrapolation. It explores how real objects or technologies might evolve or manifest under speculative narratives.Analysing these narratives typically reveals tensions and friction, observations that we make from our contemporary perspective. Exploring this ensures that a project critically reflects on our present.
Scenario
Assembling all the gathered research facts, extrapolations, and frictions, a thought-provoking scenario can be composed. This takes a clear stance within the speculative narrative, carefully selecting which elements to highlight.Materialisation ● Project
Design is a powerful tool to visualize what’s still intangible. Materialising a scenario is essential to communicate visually what cannot yet be put into words. Visual language can connect with a broad audience and bridge the gap with industrial and academic bubbles.The impact of a resulting project is twofold: it sparks debate about possible futures while making us consider the world we want to inhabit right now. These impacts influence one another: critical reflection stimulates action, guiding us in shaping the future we desire.
FUTURES
Instead of predicting the future, speculative design envisions how our future might unfold. Although intangible, it’s crucial to specify which version of the future we are discussing. This doesn't mean pinpointing a specific date, but specifying the position an idea occupies within different potential futures.
The probable future describes what is most likely to occur under normal circumstances. The plausible future explores what could happen, while the possible future examines what is still acceptable. Beyond the possible lies the realm of fantasy and pop culture’s version of science fiction.
In his work, Frederik positions himself in the plausible future, while crossing the possible and probable future’s borders. Considering the possible future connects with the real world, it creates recognition and familiarity. At the same time, tiptoeing into the possible creates engagement, sparking excitement and wonder to imagine how our world might evolve.