Fostering More-than-Human Imaginaries: Introducing DIY Speculative Fabulation in Civic HCI

Amidst the epistemological turbulence of the Anthropocene, forging new narratives has considerable importance. Departing from human-centred thinking and world-building, a shift in perspective towards a more-than-human worldview requires a continuous process of increasing awareness through various media and education. In our research on DIY tools and methodologies for urban civic interventions, we examine how applying a speculative fabulation method facilitates probing, informing and engaging citizens on a variety of human and more-than-human urban issues. Drawing on the theoretical backdrop from the environmental humanities, through an ethnographic account of two preliminary participatory design tracks, we describe how we infused our workshop interventions and participatory protocols with embodied and material storytelling that probes towards fostering more-than-human imaginaries. We discuss the potentials and pitfalls of using such an approach for tackling urban issues, and end the paper with a propositional outline for integrating the speculative fabulation method in civic HCI.