Abstract
This paper presents a situated, plural, and horizontal curatorial methodology centered on questioning rather than providing solutions in response to posthuman thought and practice. It inquires whether we might be witnessing the emergence of a New Romanticism in contemporary design and architecture concerned with interspecies relations. This romantic turn arises by acknowledging subjectivity and imagination while engaging critically with the complexities of the climate crisis. To this end, this paper examines the making of an exhibition that assembled material evidence from science, art, technology, and design. The exhibition was developed through a three-step curatorial framework aligned with the decentering narratives of posthuman philosophy, through which a group of researchers collectively constructed a narrative. The paper outlines the principles, methodology, and structure of this curatorial framework. Following audience feedback, we reflect on how the exhibition evoked interspecies emotional responses, embodied memories and critical reasoning, opening directions for future inquiry.
Keywords
Interspecies, New Romanticism, posthumanism, curatorial studies
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2209
Citation
Pestana, M., Inglezaki, K., Pastor, C., Gouin, M., Gaeiras, B., Costa, F., and Simões, M. (2026) Interspecies: a collaborative curatorial inquiry into New Romanticism, 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.2026.2209
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Interspecies: a collaborative curatorial inquiry into New Romanticism
This paper presents a situated, plural, and horizontal curatorial methodology centered on questioning rather than providing solutions in response to posthuman thought and practice. It inquires whether we might be witnessing the emergence of a New Romanticism in contemporary design and architecture concerned with interspecies relations. This romantic turn arises by acknowledging subjectivity and imagination while engaging critically with the complexities of the climate crisis. To this end, this paper examines the making of an exhibition that assembled material evidence from science, art, technology, and design. The exhibition was developed through a three-step curatorial framework aligned with the decentering narratives of posthuman philosophy, through which a group of researchers collectively constructed a narrative. The paper outlines the principles, methodology, and structure of this curatorial framework. Following audience feedback, we reflect on how the exhibition evoked interspecies emotional responses, embodied memories and critical reasoning, opening directions for future inquiry.