PLANETARY EXPERIMENTS:
ENVIRONMENTS BY DESIGN
June 13, 2025
Technische Universität Dresden
Dülfersaal
Annual Conference of the German Society for Design Theory and Research (deu: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Designtheorie und -forschung, DGTF)
The German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF), in collaboration with the Chair of Digital Cultures TU Dresden, invites participants to critically engage with the theme Planetary Experiments: Environments by Design. This conference explores the diverse perspectives and practices of design research and theory in addressing the far-reaching ecological, social and technological challenges of our time. Over the course of one day and in a hybrid setup (Dresden & remote), we will bring together scholars and practitioners to engage in keynote talks, panel discussions and practice presentations that critically explore the concept of Planetary Experiments.
Planetary Experiments serves as a multidisciplinary lens for examining humanity’s profound interventions in the Earth’s ecosystems and climate. It positions design as both a contributor to the planet’s crises and a pivotal force for driving its transformation. These experiments encompass a broad spectrum of activities, from deliberate ecological manipulations, such as deep-sea mining, land reclamation or rewilding, to speculative technological interventions in geoengineering, synthetic biology and data-driven climate adaptation. As the scope of our technological capacities advances, we stand at a critical junction where interventions once confined to the laboratory are being scaled to the planetary level, transforming the way we understand, design and inhabit environments.
Planetary Experiments seeks to map the complexities of planetary-scale design interventions and interrogate the ethical, social and ecological stakes of reimagining the planet as a site of experimentation and design. At the heart of the conference is an inquiry into the expanding methodological landscapes of design research. Contributions from international experts in design, architecture, media and science and technology studies will highlight the transformative potential of interdisciplinary, practice-based approaches to generate new forms of knowledge that transcend traditional academic silos. In an era marked by overlapping crises, the conference fosters dialogue around emerging practices that bridge disciplines and actively engage with the Earth and its future habitability.
DGTF in cooperation with the
Chair of Digital Cultures as TU Dresden
Website
Conrad Weise Finn Steffens
Key visual
DESIGN EARTH (Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy),
The Planet After Geoengineering, 18/25, 2021.
Graphic design
Johanna Mehl