In the workshop Speculative Ethnography of Worlds to Come, we will open up notions of urban citi-zenship beyond the human using a speculative ethnographic approach in the unique context of ISEA24’s host city, Brisbane/Meanjin. We will embark on a fieldtrip to a speculative Brisbane where we will (re)learn, observe, and weave narratives of multispecies urban ecosystems. We aim to explore how life in Brisbane would transform if its urban experience ceased to be human-centered. Participants will get to know speculative thinking practices, specifically in the context of (re)building multispecies connections, giving them tools to navigate through emerging environmental challenges.
This workshop acts as a research-creation event that engages participants in a transdisciplinary co-creation process using speculative thinking approaches to imagine alternative ways of urban living. Speculative ethnography stories alternative/future/parallel worlds by integrating imaginative thought, posthuman ethnography, and artistic co-creation; it represents a form of observation of worlds to come, making visible and making sense of multispecies imaginaries that (re)tell different kinds of stories about place and country (Phillips et al., 2022). This land has not always been “Brisbane,” after all; it is located on the ancestral lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, known as Meanjin. In storying alternative/future/parallel worlds to come, we take into account the intricate politics of inclusion and exclusion in (speculative) worldmaking practices, embracing trans-epistemological collaborations and connections.
This workshop unfolds in three phases. (1) We will start with an exploratory discussion on nature’s essence, channeling the power of symbiosis to shape our envisioned worlds. (2) We will delve into the theoretical and methodological approach of speculative ethnography, which will guide us in the world-building process. (3) Finally, we embark on an ethnographic field trip, where we actively wander through the streets of Brisbane and situate ourselves as (urban) ethnographers.
The workshop will result in visions of multispecies urban living, presented in and through field notes that foster a deep connection to place. These speculative worlds might include cohabiting with animals that are nowadays considered pests, thinking with the Brisbane River to reimagine Brisbane’s urban planning, or leveraging technology to “listen” to the needs of urban forests. As such, speculative ethnography serves as a creative methodological response to the significant changes the Earth is currently facing. As highlighted by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2020), “how can we begin to move towards ecological and cultural sustainability if we cannot even imagine what the path feels like?” (p. 2). At its essence, speculative ethnography directs towards shared creativity and collective imagination of “ecological and cultural sustainability,” in close connection to place.
PRESENTERS:
"Antje Jacobs, KU Leuven (Belgium) & University of Melbourne (Australia)
Karin Hannes, KU Leuven (Belgium)
Steven Devleminck, KU Leuven (Belgium) & LUCA School of Arts (Belgium)"
