Design Research

Research set-up project

Alexandra Viert, Unterrichtsassistentin, Trends & Identity, Katarzyna Sroka, MA 2024 und Judith Mair, Dozentin, Trends & Identity

At the intersection of design, trend research, and sociology, the project Shaping Psychedelic Health examines the successful use of psychedelics within the context of an evolving concept of health. Building on insights from a design-ethnographic investigation of non-clinical consumption settings, the project aims to develop speculative design interventions that reflect current everyday realities of consumption and explore potential futures related to it.

Psychedelics are experiencing a revival. For years, «therapeutic» self-treatments in non-clinical consumption settings have been gaining popularity – psychedelic retreats promise transformative experiences through myco meditations and acid hikes. However, the use of substances carries risks and requires an appropriate environment and guidance. Although it is recognized that the setting is a decisive aspect for successful experiences, empirical studies on the effects and optimization of the setting remain limited. They rarely succeed in translating theory into practice. Shaping Psychedelic Health bridges this gap by using design as a communicative and translational tool to transfer theoretical insights on settings and aesthetics of psychedelic experiences into applied design proposals.