ARCHIVE
Aquatic Speculations
A Speculative Evolution workshop, hosted at Mediamatic
Next workshop date: 11/10/2025
(TICKETS)
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
In the framework of Mediamatic’s 2025 focus on water, I developed this workshop-series as a tool for adults to fantasize about future aquatic developments.
The workshops are divided in four sections:
A lecture on the history of speculative evolution,
an exercise in imagination,
creation,
and a communal presentation.
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Images from session #1
In the lecture, particpants are introduced to the science-fiction subgenre speculative evolution, an artistic movement that unites fantasy and science to imagine new species. During this, I also share about my own experience with speculative evolution and how it changed not only my artistic practice, but my view on the world and its future, helping me tackle my climate anxiety.
Together, we will then go on an “archaeological dig of the mind”, searching for your own aquatic speculative species to bring to life. Is it a plant, animal, bacteria, or perhaps something from a so far undiscovered kingdom? What environment does it thrive in, and how has it adapted to this? Could it exist on contemporary
Earth, or has climate change, meteor showers, or intergalactic activities paved the way for this particular evolution?
This will be the foundation from which you start researching and visualising through your preferred medium available in the workshop, such as collage, drawing, writing, clay sculpting, or a combination of these. We recommend bringing a phone or laptop to be able to research (or write, if you prefer keyboard over pen and paper), but there will also be inspirational books from my own collection available to browse.
By the end of the workshop, each participant presents their speculative species, sharing their thought process and findings during the workshop.
Each species is documented and becomes part of this growing speculative evolution archive:
In the framework of Mediamatic’s 2025 focus on water, I developed this workshop-series as a tool for adults to fantasize about future aquatic developments.
The workshops are divided in four sections:
A lecture on the history of speculative evolution,
an exercise in imagination,
creation,
and a communal presentation.
In the lecture, particpants are introduced to the science-fiction subgenre speculative evolution, an artistic movement that unites fantasy and science to imagine new species. During this, I also share about my own experience with speculative evolution and how it changed not only my artistic practice, but my view on the world and its future, helping me tackle my climate anxiety.
Together, we will then go on an “archaeological dig of the mind”, searching for your own aquatic speculative species to bring to life. Is it a plant, animal, bacteria, or perhaps something from a so far undiscovered kingdom? What environment does it thrive in, and how has it adapted to this? Could it exist on contemporary
Earth, or has climate change, meteor showers, or intergalactic activities paved the way for this particular evolution?
This will be the foundation from which you start researching and visualising through your preferred medium available in the workshop, such as collage, drawing, writing, clay sculpting, or a combination of these. We recommend bringing a phone or laptop to be able to research (or write, if you prefer keyboard over pen and paper), but there will also be inspirational books from my own collection available to browse.
By the end of the workshop, each participant presents their speculative species, sharing their thought process and findings during the workshop.
Each species is documented and becomes part of this growing speculative evolution archive:
