Design for the Speculative Future as Cultural Intermediary: Case Study on Chinese Weddings

ABSTRACT This paper explores the intersection of culture and design, examining the practice of design for the speculative future through the lens of cultural activities. Several domains of design, including product design and service design, are interpreted as cultural activities. Through mixed methods of research for, through, and about design, this paper proposes design for the speculative future as speculative cultural intermediary. Three design projects are included to support the findings and describe the four stages: decoding culture, speculating meanings, encoding meanings, and design as speculative culture. This paper will contribute to developing a cultural design methodology covering these four stages.