We approach design as a way to generate theory and things. Design is political and we develop working technologies to help people imagine alternative futures with alternative politics.
We think its okay that the world is a messy and unpredictable place. Instead of building technologies that help us know more and do more and predict more, we explore technologies that help people become beginners, see things differently, and form new relationships with people, environments, and things. In doing so, we often trade control for cooperation, the individual for collectives, and productivity for humility.
We are technologists, artists, designers, and researchers. We share an approach that pairs design and making with critical thinking and reflection, combining and developing methods that blend anthropology, art, and engineering.
The Unstable Design Lab was established in 2017 and is housed within the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder.