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As speculative thinking, uses free flow of imagination to open up new perspectives (Dunne, A et al., 2013), we decided to explore a research technique known as the 'Cut-Up Method' developed by William Burroughs (1985). The cut-up method involves creatively engaging with text and imagery by forming novel connections, themes, and contexts through unexpected associations and juxtapositions.
How did we do it
We began by cutting up words from magazines and newspapers and creating a pile of collected words. Then, we randomly selected a handful of words from the piles to construct our narrative about the future. This limitation of using only a handful of words made the vast space of the future less intimidating and allowed us to be creative with our ideas, resulting in new associations being formed
Image 1: Cutting out random words from newspapers and magazines, which were then randomly selected to create unique narratives using those words. | Image: Zuzana
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Image 2: Examples of narratives created during the cut-up method activity, with words picked at random | Image: Hong
Findings
We discovered that we all had a positive outlook on the future and were able to imagine different possibilities from various perspectives. The randomness of the word selection inspired us to explore different possibilities and not be overwhelmed by the vastness of the future. The activity helped us think outside the box and generate new ideas.
To get started, we generated two iterations of the toolkit, that could help us understand how participants interact with future-based techniques.
<aside> 💡 The iterations were designed based on generative research and cut-up method, with the aim to generate fresh ideas and initiate conversations about the needs and dreams of the residents for the borough.
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