Ecologies Otherwise: Mapping Ontological, Speculative, and Transition Design Discourses

Abstract

This paper examines three emergent theories of design that situate ecological change within paradigm shifts: namely ontological design, speculative design, and transition design. Using Foucault’s quadrilateral approach to analyzing discursive formations, it is argued that each theory of design offers a qualitative reframing of the primary problem underlying ecological crisis: respectively, the designed object, imaginative constraint, and systemic issues. In light of each unique orientation to ecological crisis, these three theories advance new ways of designing: redirecting practice in pursuit of more sustainable futures; engaging audiences in hypothetical questions about what might be; or re-envisioning new lifestyles through continuous systemic shift. In analyzing the difference within and between each theoretical discourse, this paper contributes to ecological dialogue in design, offering designers a map of dynamic approaches for reframing and responding to complex ecological issues.