From 15 to 19 June, L’École de design Nantes Atlantique welcomed students from France, Italy, Spain and Belgium for the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Design Fiction: Imagining Future Uses and Technologies”. This international experience combined online preparatory activities with an intensive week of on-site workshops, fostering collaboration across cultures, design methodologies and multidisciplinary expertise.
Representing AANT – Accademia delle Arti e Nuove Tecnologie were students Emily Avagnina, Enrico Pezzali, Valeria Rapisarda, Francesco Cimmino, Giulia Zamboni, Giuseppe Maria Falso, Alice Tiozzo Netti, Giada Mattei, Clara Balducelli and Erika Mignini, accompanied by faculty member Ernesto Venanzi.
Organised by L’École de design Nantes Atlantique in partnership with AANT – Accademia delle Arti e Nuove Tecnologie, ELISAVA – Escola Superior de Disseny i Enginyeria de Barcelona, and Haute École Albert Jacquard, the programme brought together students from different design disciplines to work in international teams, exploring future scenarios through the methodologies of Design Fiction and Speculative Design.
At the heart of the programme was a critical exploration of the role of emerging technologies and Artificial Intelligence in shaping society. Through storytelling, narrative prototyping and experimentation with AI-powered tools, participants developed speculative design scenarios investigating the relationship between technological innovation, wellbeing, culture and evolving social behaviours. The programme also placed strong emphasis on the ethical dimensions of innovation, encouraging responsible, inclusive and culturally aware design practices.
One of the most valuable aspects of the BIP was the opportunity to work in multicultural teams, enabling students to engage with diverse design approaches while developing essential transversal skills increasingly sought after in the creative industries, including critical thinking, international collaboration, interdisciplinary design and the ability to create narratives that envision possible futures.