Studio (Un)Real: Pluriversal v2

Studio (Un)Real: Pluriversal v2 explores the intersection of design, research, culture, and locality. While Australian design education remains largely Western-centric, this design studio challenges students to critically examine their own positionality and engage with pluriversal design approaches. With the rise of Generative AI (GenAI), designers must navigate biases embedded in AI tools while discovering how technology can be leveraged to diversify design cultures.

This studio follows a practice-based enquiry structured into three phases: Research for Design, Research into Design, and Research through Design.

In Phase 1 Research for Design, students engage in critical reflection and strategic research to establish the foundations for their design work by:

• reflecting on their design identity using the intersectionality framework,
• investigating their local design context,
• exploring precedent studies to understand diverse design approaches, and
• identifying and framing a research-led design topic that responds to identity, locality, and technology.

In Phase 2 Research into Design, students focus on experimenting with emerging technologies and methods to understand how design is shaped by technology. Over the four weeks, students will:

• analyse existing design processes and identify areas for intervention,
• experiment with GenAI tools to uncover capabilities, limitations, and biases in AI-generated design,
• develop GenAI prompting strategies to create more diverse design cultures, and
• document and critically evaluate their design methodologies.

In Phase 3 Research through Design, students apply their research and experimentation insights to create and iterate design outcomes. Through hands-on learning by doing, they will:

• prototype design artefacts that respond to their research findings,
• use physical and digital fabrication techniques to test and refine design concepts, and 
• document their design process as a research method.
• prepare for the Melbourne Design Week exhibition by curating their work for public presentation.

The studio concludes with a design exhibition for Melbourne Design Week, showcasing a curated display of their design journey, prototypes, and final design outcomes.

• keywords: pluriversal design; design cultures; generative AI
• with: Fanny Suhendra
• year: March 2025 – June 2025

Subject details

In this subject, students investigate how design, research, culture, and technology intersect to shape contemporary design practice. Through the Research for, into, and through Design framework, students critically examine their design identity and its relationship to local and global contexts. They explore pluriversal design approaches, analysing how technology, particularly Generative AI (GenAI), can both reinforce biases and be harnessed to diversify design cultures.

• for: Swinburne University of Technology, Master of Design
• subject: Studio 6: Design-led Research