Speculative Design / Critical Data Research Lab

Speculative Design and Critical Data Lab (SD/CD LAB) is an interdisciplinary research laboratory operating at the intersection of the humanities, social sciences, and design practices. Its goal is to develop critical and speculative methods of working with data, which are treated not as neutral representations of reality, but as culturally, socially, and institutionally conditioned constructs. The laboratory focuses on analyzing the relationship between knowledge, technology, and power in the digital age, combining approaches from critical data studies, media studies, sound studies, anthropology, design, and cultural theory. An important element of its activity is design as a form of research, in the spirit of research through design and speculative design thinking, enabling the creation of alternative narratives and models of relationships between people, data, technologies, and the environment.

SD/CD LAB has advanced IT infrastructure enabling team research on data visualization, sonification, and materialization, work with VR, motion capture, 3D printing, image, sound, and motion analysis, as well as media-ethnographic, performative, and environmental research. The laboratory creates a space for collaboration between scientists, designers, and engineers, supporting the development of interdisciplinary projects and international grant initiatives. Its activities strengthen the research potential of the Faculty of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University, opening up new areas of research on digital culture, art, media, data, and their social consequences.