Circular Cultures Design School 2025 | Strand C – Hybrid World

Facilitation
by Harry Krekoukiotis

On Strand C, Harry will explore how the perception of animacy in designed objects and technological artifacts can help foster meaningful emotional connections and promote sustainable use behaviors. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of animacy perception while leveraging biological motion in affective robotics, we discover ways to establish design practices that promote intimacy and well-being while integrating circularity in the life of animate objects.

Objects in Hybrid Worlds: Designing Emotional Immersion
by Lucy Hardcastle Studio

Lucy Hardcastle Studio’s lecture will explore the mission to bring emotion, immersion, and reconnection to individuals within virtual or digitally augmented worlds on a global scale. The studio subscribes to a radical use of the senses, challenging them through design to produce emotive and transformative responses from viewers via complex narratives and immersive storytelling.

The lecture will delve into the studio's approach to telling complex stories from a natively digital perspective, utilizing technology as if it were designed for the emotional beings that humans are. A key element of this approach is considering audience psychology, interactions, and symbolism with the objects and world around us.

The design theme, described as ‘user-led experiences, will be highlighted, showcasing how memorable moments in both physical and digital spaces are achieved by gamifying interactions. This is done through considered user journeys that offer freedom of choice, exploration, and reward systems. The intended outcome is as much influenced by the user’s involvement as it is by the studio's design, providing a sense of collaboration while ensuring each user has a cohesive experience.