Participatory and Speculative Design and Research
I am a Bristol-based transdisciplinary designer and social researcher. I am interested in what constitutes meaningful activity for humans and the planet, how it can inspire post-capitalist modes of production and existence, and how we can prototype these through creative experiments in work, educational, and urban commons. I am currently completing a PhD at the Business School, University of Bristol, and I hold an MSc in Design from Brunel University. My research employs speculative and participatory methods from design and the arts to nurture reciprocal and collaborative social relations towards common futures. My PhD explored this in the research context of higher education, establishing a pluralistic community of cleaners, librarians, porters, and researchers that transgressed the boundaries between the management and practice of university work, and shed light on the invisible reproductive labour that sustains the university.
My work intertwines theoretical perspectives from Aesthetic Theory, Science and Technology Studies, and Utopian Studies. I put these to practice through innovative and context-specific methods such as film, photography, drawing, collage, performance, comics, and speculative artefacts and fictions. Through the collaborative production and consumption of art, the hope is that we imagine and experience little utopian realities within and beyond our current predicament.
Before joining the University of Bristol, I was a research associate at the Royal College of Art, working on participatory design programs for food and textiles innovation. I have also collaborated with industry and universities such as Goldsmiths, Lancaster, and Brunel as a designer and facilitator of future scenarios, public workshops, and interactive experiences for diverse audiences. My design work spans board and video games, illustrations, books, and websites. You may have encountered some of it at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Royal College of Art, the Science Gallery, Ars Electronica, and elsewhere. I am also part of the creative collective Xanontas Xrono (Loosing Time), initiated by Maro Pantazidou. The collective translates our academic research into podcasts and other accessible mediums for the greek context.
Say hello at hello@parisselinas.io
Education
PhD, Business, School, University of Bristol. Aesthetic Materialism: Developing a Praxis-based Methodology through Participatory Speculative Fictions (2024)
MSc Integrated Product Design, Brunel University, London (2011-2012)
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2001-2006, MSc equivalent 5 year programme )
Exhibitions
The UoC: Hidden Realities and Speculative Fictions. Arts Complex, University of Bristol (2022)
HOME/WORK, HackAthens, Onassis Stegi (2020)
Challenging the Work Society, a conference on post-work: The Dictionary of Work, Birkbeck, London (2019)
The Institute of Patent Infringement, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam (2018)
The Institute of Patent Infringement, V&A Digital Design Weekend (2018)
The Institute of Patent Infringement, Venice Architecture Biennale, Dutch Pavillion: WORK, BODY, LEISURE (2018)
Royal College of Art, Work In Progress Show (2016)
Victoria & Albert Museum, Digital Futures: Space Apps (2014)
Victoria & Albert Museum, Digital Futures: Space Apps (2013)
Design Museum, The Future Is Here, Wandular (2013)
Watermans, Isoculture (2013)
OXO Tower, Made in Brunel, MSc Graduate Show (2012)
Texts & Talks
Loosing Time. Co-produced pamphlet on time and work. With Maro Pantazidou. Design by Christina Biliouri (2024).
On Theory and Creativity. Article on Bristol+Bath Creative R+D (2022)
IIPPPE, Annual Conference in Political Economy, Bologna, Italy (2022)
The pandemic as a mirror of labour. Is it the end of work as we know it? Co-written with Maro Pantazidou. Commissioned by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Greece (2020).
HackAthens 2020: Stories of Athens, Ars Elecrtonica (2020)
Sustainable, Ethical, Innovation: “The Sustainable, Ethical Human”, Win3DP Lab, Here East, London (2019)
Work Fictions: Stories of Automated Work, Seventh of Clubs, Zima Bar, London (2019)
V&A Digital Futures: Future Food (2018)
Interview at Design Decode (2018)
Crossing Over, Royal College of Art, London (2016)
Doing it Together Science, University College London (2016)
66th International Astronautical Congress, Jerusalem (2015)
Open Food: Design for Open Food Innovation, Product Realisation Lab, Stanford University, USA (2015)
International Space Apps Challenge by NASA, Dana Centre, Science Museum, London (2014)
International Space Apps Challenge by NASA, Google Campus, London (2013)
Design for Repurposing: Make Anything for Nothing, Digital Shoreditch, London (2013)
Teaching and Mentoring
Assistant Teacher, Organisational Creativity, MSc Management, University of Bristol (2020-2023)
Visiting Lecturer, MSc Integrated Product Design, Brunel University (2018-2021)
Thesis supervisor, Brunel University, MSc Integrated Product Design (2015 & 2017)
Assistant tutor, Cross-Modal Food Design, Human Culture Theme, Design Products, Royal College of Art (2016)
Mentor, RETASTE Greece – A food design future, Design Alley, TEDx (2016)
Events & Workshops
Navigating Power and Menopause at Work, Science Gallery London (2020)
Qualified Selves: Co-Creating Meaning Post-Big Data, Lancaster (2019)
Public Safety Communications Conference, Lancaster (2019)
The Internet of Public Safety Things, Lancaster University (2018)
Spoke: The Design Science Fiction Boardgame, Evan Raskob & Paris Selinas, V&A Digital Design Weekend (2018)
Food Fictions, design fiction exhibition and dining experience, guest panellist (2017)
Floating Class Worksop, Solutions at the Sea, workshop facilitator (2017)
Open Kitchen, food design workshop, Imperial Festival (2017)
Doing it Together Science, University College London (2016)
Film screening and discussion, “Like Water for Chocolate”, University College London (2016)
Human-Centered Design Through Food, Royal College of Art (2016)
Food and Packaging Innovation, workshop co-organiser and facilitator, London Design Festival (2013)
Distinctions and Awards
Honourable mention for the film Home/Work, Just Film Festival, Birmingham (2022)
New Scholars Fellowship, Bristol+Bath Creative R+D (2020)
Full PhD Scholarship, University of Bristol, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (2019)
Finalist, top 20, International Space Apps Challenge by NASA (2014)
Winner, British Telecom (BT) Home of the Future Challenge (2012)
MSc Integrated Product Design, Distinction (2012)
Publications
Selby, M., and Selinas, P. (2020): “Action Recipes: Paper Cooking for Embodied Recipes”, Apria (2020)
Sharon B., Petreca B., Selinas P., Selby M., Flintham M. (2020): “Modalities of Expression: Capturing Embodied Knowledge in Cooking”. Fourteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, Australia.
Escalante Luján M., Büscher M., Tsevekles E., Andersen M., Nielsen L., Selinas P., Muffat L., Robbins J. (2019): “Ethics through Design: Medical data systems, chronically ill data subjects, and all the invisible things in between”. Design Revolutions, International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference, Manchester School of Arts, Manchester.
Pantidi K., Selinas P., Martin F., Baurely S., Rodden T. (2017): “Bread Stories: Understanding the drivers of bread consumption for digital food customization”. OzCHI 2017 – Human – Nature, Brisbane, Australia.
Tigkas P., Selinas P., Mylonaki D., (2015): “Down to Earth: A framework for empathizing with scientific data and invisible threats”. 66th International Astronautical Congress, Jerusalem, Israel.
Memberships
Action Research and Critical Inquiry in Organisations (ARCIO), University of Bristol
Work Futures Group, School of Management, University of Bristol
Digital Societies, University of Bristol
University and College Union (UCU)