NEW NARRATIVES - Speculations of a Society shaped by Pandemics


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Concept
Climate change and the destruction of ecosystems make future pandemics more likely. According to researchers Zoonoses are on the rise and our globalised con- sumer societies are accelerating their spread. The handling of Sars-CoV-2 already shows that opinions and behaviours vary widely. This raises the question of what impact pandemics will have on society? What adaptations in our lifestyles, social interactions and practices will be necessary?
This work speculates on possible social developments that are somewhere be- tween the real and the unreal. It does not look at particularly desirable or probable developments. The intention is rather to look into a complex future that involves equally complex questions, and to encourage own speculations and discussions.

Process
During the design process four narratives of a (Post)-Covid-19 society were created with the aim of serving as a foundation for further speculation, discussion and provocation. Current world events, desk research and observations shaped the narratives. They were communicated in textual form and additionally supported by three visualisations each, guiding the viewer from an infrastructural representa- tion to a fictitious product level of the described living environment.
The narratives were then examined individually and discussed speculatively with experts on the basis of the respective knowledge. Among others, interviews were conducted with extremism researchers, psychologists, political scientists, bio- engineers and urban planners. Exciting discourses developed, which were later collected and used to merge the New Narratives.