🔮 We are the Ghent Chapter of the Design Futures Initiative. Our chapter connects local designers, strategists, engineers, scientists, artists and futurists through a variety of events. Together, we imagine and take action on creating futures for all.
Originally founded in San Francisco, this chapter is part of a global network for those interested in Critical Design, Strategic Foresight, Speculative Design, Design Fiction, Futurism, Science Fiction... or any other incarnation of the approach which involves using Design to speculate about alternate and better futures.
🗺️ Our roadmap
We'll be hosting speakers—practitioners, teachers, students, and other professionals who will be talking about work or methods in this topic.
We'll be hosting workshops which will allow you to learn how to conduct and apply futures thinking and design fiction in a variety of circumstances as a method of synthesis and education.
🌱 Our mission
We believe that design is key to support economical, social, urban and cultural growth in the 21st century. We want to connect local designers, strategists, artists, students, scientists and futurists. Together we can facilitate and advance responsible design and strategy practices that take into account the ethical, cultural, environmental, political and economic challenges we encounter in Ghent - and beyond.
SFG is the first chapter of Design Futures Initiative in Belgium. Our main mission is to spread the knowledge and expand the network of futures related practices into design in our community.
🤝 Partner with us
We are always looking for partners to co-host events or co-organize talks.
Please reach out to us if you see an opportunity to collaborate and grow the Speculative Futures movement in Ghent and Belgium!
Behind the Ghent Chapter
Chapter Lead Lien De Ruyck - Creative Strategist and Futurist. Cultivating human collaboration as a complex non-linear network of communities that give people the opportunity to blossom by using their creativity to generate meaningful novelty. Co-founder of the Belgian hub 'Teach The Future'.
Chapter co-Lead Wio D'Hespeel- Coordinator of the 'Design for Impact' masterclass at LUCA School of Arts. Creative generalist whose favourite habitat is at the crosspoint of disciplines. Passionate believer in educational innovation as a stepping stone towards new generations of impact focused and empathic professionals.
Co-organiser Thomas D'hooge - Lecturer at VIVES University of Applied Sciences. He teaches courses on emerging technologies and futures thinking alongside guiding and mentoring student projects. Thomas blends conceptual work and theories with practice-oriented thinking while striving for sustainable outcomes that can have a societal impact. Accordingly, he co-founded the Belgian hub 'Teach The Future'.”
Partners
The Design Futures Initiative is a nonprofit organisation based in San Francisco, CA dedicated to the advancement and development of Futures Design Thinking — Speculative & Critical Design, Design Fiction, Futurism, and Strategic Foresight. We have a community of Speculative Futures chapters & meetups around the world and organise the annual PRIMER conference in the US and Europe.
