Aquatic Speculations

Description

The workshop Aquatic Speculations (March 2026) explored speculative evolution as a method for imagining future aquatic ecologies under conditions of environmental change. Positioned at the intersection of science fiction, biology, and artistic practice, the workshop examined how new species and ecosystems can be conceived through evolutionary logic—focusing on adaptation, mutation, and survival in response to pressures such as sea-level rise and pollution.

Combining theoretical references (e.g., H.G. Wells, Dougal Dixon, and contemporary artists) with creative exploration, participants engaged speculative evolution as both a worldbuilding tool and a critical lens, using it to reflect on current ecological crises and the limits of human-centred perspectives. The workshop emphasized that speculative organisms should remain grounded—at least loosely—in ecological and biological reasoning, rather than pure fantasy.

The workshop framed speculative evolution as a hybrid practice for thinking through environmental futures, enabling participants to imagine alternative forms of life while critically engaging with present-day assumptions about nature, extinction, and adaptation.

Period	14 Mar 2026
Event type	Workshop