Abstract
This article explores the notion of figurations as a theoretical and methodological concept to address tensions between time, presence, and practice in participatory design processes. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s and Rosi Braidotti’s work, we argue that figurations invite more situated practices that acknowledge the relational and material realities emerging in Global South contexts. Methodologically, the paper offers a situated ethnographic reading of participatory workshops conducted in Colombia, tracing the patterns and affections that shape collective action. We propose figurations as embodied, affective, and speculative counter-devices that foster political imagination and community agency in processes of social transformation. The paper contributes to current debates on decolonizing and situated design by positioning figurations as both analytical and generative concepts for re-imaging participation.
Keywords
Participatory design; Figurations; Situated practice; Global South
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2132
Citation
Mahecha, D., de la Rosa, J.A., and Velasquez, J. (2026) Figurations as a situated counter-device for participatory design: Exploring time and presence in design practice., in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2132
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Figurations as a situated counter-device for participatory design: Exploring time and presence in design practice.
This article explores the notion of figurations as a theoretical and methodological concept to address tensions between time, presence, and practice in participatory design processes. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s and Rosi Braidotti’s work, we argue that figurations invite more situated practices that acknowledge the relational and material realities emerging in Global South contexts. Methodologically, the paper offers a situated ethnographic reading of participatory workshops conducted in Colombia, tracing the patterns and affections that shape collective action. We propose figurations as embodied, affective, and speculative counter-devices that foster political imagination and community agency in processes of social transformation. The paper contributes to current debates on decolonizing and situated design by positioning figurations as both analytical and generative concepts for re-imaging participation.