Parallel Activation 3: New Pathways of Innovation: An experiment in Design Speculation

Venue: Huawei Room

Session Format: Activation

Host: University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) South Africa

Speakers:

1. Hadassah Myers, UJ
2. Motala Sabeehah, GIZ South Africa

Session Overview

This session presents early findings emerging out of a partnership between the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Multimedia and the Transparency, Integrity and Accountability Programme (TIP) at GIZ-South Africa. Hadassah Myers (UJ) and Sabeehah Motala (GIZ TIP) will describe a creative project that developed from conversations about the role of technology in anti-corruption initiatives within a South African context. Innovation in this space is still fresh and often driven by the limited experiences from other (usually Global North) countries. A design project was re-imagined based on the premise that new channels need to form to wash away old failed ways of thinking about the future. Over the last semester, the 2023 cohort of final-year Digital Media Design students have been participating in this new project that aims to evoke discussion about technology and the future of transparency, integrity, and transformation. The framework for the project was created using a combination of Speculative Futures and Futures Literacy Design Approaches. Students have been encouraged to look beyond “used” futures and think about corruption from an imaginative and decolonised perspective.

The session hopes to:

1. Start a conversation about the benefits of collaboration and creativity in presenting new ways of thinking about corruption, technology, agency, and the future.  
2. Share insights gained in the development and progression of the project.
3. Showcase examples that illustrate the potential of this approach