Presentation Schedule
Absurd Creativity in Design Education in China (95019)
Session: On Demand
Room: Virtual Video Presentation
Presentation Type:Virtual Presentation
As China invests heavily in AI and emerging technologies in education, the problem of integrating traditional design thinking with new technology is creating an atmosphere of fear and trepidation in universities in China. This talk posits that a dual approach within design pedagogy of teaching absurdist philosophy with Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO), and emerging technologies creates a model that reimagines creativity in an increasingly post-human world. This research is based in Lanzhou, argues for the urgent inclusion of AI and emerging technologies in design education, not as replacements for traditional skills but as philosophical provocations. By intertwining absurdism’s embrace of irrationality with OOO’s object-centric metaphysics and computational tools, we cultivate a pedagogy where innovation emerges from dissonance. Within classes, the authors created links between existential absurdity with Graham Harman’s OOO, we positioned artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools as catalysts for destabilizing anthropocentric design paradigms. We started transitioning students away from seeing AI as a tool into an absurd collaborator, generating outputs that defy traditional logic, provoking ontological design inquiries. Our pedagogical model transitions students from conventional art practices (e.g., material craftsmanship, representational techniques) to speculative, technology-driven design thinking. This journey incorporates AI tools (e.g., generative adversarial networks, procedural algorithms) and immersive technologies (AR/VR) to disrupt linear creative processes. The study highlights how these technologies amplify OOO’s ontological flattening, enabling students to confront the absurdity of human-centric meaning-making. The presentation will include designs made by the students using this relationship.
Authors:
Timi O'Neill, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, United Kingdom
Jianlan Feng, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, United Kingdom
About the Presenter(s)
Mr Timi O'Neill is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at UWTSD in United Kingdom
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