Prototyping Alternative Futures
Session 2 | June 22–July 4
Disruptive Camo Series: Hunting Blind by Sophia Brueckner, 2024. Ripstop nylon with a custom Laura Ashley floral Realtree hunting camo print, steel hunting blind, aluminum, foam, 6’ x 6’ x 10’. Photo by Sierra R. Aguilar.
During her residency, Sophia Brueckner will explore and reimagine the future of technology through speculative design and hands-on prototyping. Drawing from her expertise in art, engineering, and science fiction, she will lead informal pop-up workshops that explore the intersection of digital fabrication, traditional media, and critical technology ethics. As part of these, participants will create both physical and digital artifacts, experimenting with projects like merging unexpected textile patterns or building robotic creatures that question the boundaries between human and non-human art. This collaborative experience will inspire attendees to think critically and creatively about how technology shapes our world and how we can influence it for a more positive, equitable future.
Sophia Brueckner (she/her) is an artist and engineer who researches how technology shapes us. At Google, she built products used by millions. At RISD and the MIT Media Lab, she researched how technology both empowers and controls us. Since 2011, Brueckner has taught Sci-Fi Prototyping, an internationally renowned course combining science fiction, extrapolative thinking, building prototypes, and technology ethics. She is currently an Associate Professor at Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.