A Bittersweet Brew
exploring the role of nostalgia in speculative rituals
[design research] [speculative design]
April 2024 - June 2024
An increasing number of design researchers are employing speculative design to examine our delicate food production system and the pressures we place on it. Coffee, in particular, has been shown to be highly sensitive to climate change.
In this experiential futures project, we explore the role of nostalgia in speculative rituals to promote reflections on our current practices related to coffee making and drinking. It aims to challenge the status quo to surface the embedded social and cultural values as well as sociopolitical tensions. To make sense of this space, we create an experiential futures exhibition contextualized in the year 2050, and synthesize three fabulations: (1) It's all gone, (2) Collective nostalgia, and (3) I need closure.
Interaction with visitors unpacked the interconnectedness of personal and collective identities, material cultures, social structures, and broader societal issues, offering invitations to design researchers to explore alternative ways of engaging with speculative rituals through scent-evoked nostalgia.
Design research project at Industrial Design master’s program at Eindhoven University of Technology (Teammates: Susan Draaijer, Xander Franchamps; Supervisor: Dan Lockton)
Visitors interacting with the three fabulations, ultimately engaging in a ritual to bid farewell to coffee.
