----- / ----- creative / designer / design researcher / strategic designer / speculative designer / critical designer / graphic designer / printmaker / artist / ex- student @ FBAUL / ex- intern @ IN10 / ex- Strategic Design master’s @ TU Delft / born in Portugal / now in Rotterdam / verified human / “I’m not a robot” / Am I not a robot?
...but those are just empty labels. You can just call me Pedro!My interest currently lies in exploring design as a strategic medium for critical inquiry and research. Approaching design as a problem-setting practice, I aim to explore designers’ role to foster discussion and debate about alternative futures; challenge the status quo, the dominant systems and institutions; and foster reflection on present (and future) social, cultural and technological issues.
Informed by Critical, Speculative and Participatory design, my work is focused in involving different groups, communities and organisations in co-imagination of possible futures and co-creation of preferable futures. My work is medium agnostic and I think of it as discussion tools that inspire action today by: informing better strategic decisions; triggering critical reflection and debate; and exposing what future(s) are we aiming for.
I’ve recently finished my final graduation project at TU Delft with the topic “Participation in Speculative Design”, a project exploring the challenges of employing a critical approach like speculative design within participatory settings and in new contexts (out of the gallery).