Alternative Unknowns

Role: Graphic Designer, Fabricator, Game Designer

Collaborators: Elliott Montgomery, Chris Woebken

The Alternative Unknowns Method takes the live-action simulator designed by the Extrapolation Factory and puts it into an open source workbook. First tested at the “Infrastructure Space” LafargeHolcim Forum, the workbook offers a way to outline the setup of a live-action simulator to serve as design prototyping space for designers working at system-level challenges. The Alternative Unknowns method begins by defining a series of constants: a group of simulation enactors, a constructed simulation environment, a simulation script, a set of curated props, and a group of designed artifacts or experiences which may alter the outcome of the simulation. 

I helped conceptualize and design the workbook and the workshop materials. I also fabricated all the materials, prototyping them several times. The final version was featured in the Extrapolation Factory’s book and has been used in several workshops including one with the heads of human resources at LVMH. The materials are open sourced and have been used in many workshops. I used them in a lesson plan for Urban Intelligence, exploring what happens in a smart city when the power grid goes down.