APF Conference 2025
The Futures of Creativity and Compassion
OCAD Waterfront Campus, Toronto
August 15 — 17, 2025
Designing for the Human Experience: APF x OCADu
In August 2025, Method Collective joined the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) Futures of Creativity and Compassion conference in Toronto to explore how care and social responsibility shape the world to come.
We contributed a perspective on emotional infrastructure, moving beyond abstract theory to offer lived, sensory experiences of the future.
We believe that grief isn’t just a private emotion: it’s a systemic force that shapes policy, culture, and transformation.
Through an immersive exhibit and interactive workshop, Navigating Grief in the Contextual Environment, we introduced our Grief Informed Futures framework.
By treating grief as a "contextual environment," we helped practitioners from around the globe identify more humane, resilient pathways for their organizations.
Designing from 2050: Grief Informed Futures in Action
A speculative retrospective set in 2050 and an applied workshop invited participants to explore what becomes possible when grief is treated as civic and cultural infrastructure.
The Workshop
We facilitated Navigating Grief in the Contextual Environment, introducing our Grief Informed Futures framework. Participants used real-world tools to see how grief drives systemic change, innovation, and resilience.
The Exhibit
We presented Space for Grief as a retrospective from the year 2050, allowing participants to experience the long-term value of integrating grief-informed approaches into design and policy.
The Takeaway
Our work at APF x OCAD continues to fuel our collaborations with organizations seeking to navigate uncertainty with intention.
We help teams design strategies and tools grounded in equity, collective well-being, and a deep understanding of the human experience.
Supporting Research
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