Speculatively Shaping the Future of Media

“what if” questions
24.10 – 10:00-14:00, Neues Museum Weimar
RETURN - workshop with Tom Ritschel

Speculatively Shaping the Future of Media

The workshop “Speculatively Shaping the Future of Media” invites participants to imagine and design future scenarios around media diversity. As part of the 5th RETURN International Film & Art Festival in Weimar, it creates a creative space to rethink media narratives in playful and experimental ways.

Why this workshop?

Media shape how we perceive the world. But what if diversity were not optional, but mandatory? Through provocative “what if” questions, the workshop challenges routines and opens up new perspectives. The aim is not only to discuss societal transformation, but to make it tangible through creative exploration.

Target group

The workshop is aimed at creative professionals from Thuringia, especially those working in film, photography, video, visual arts, and related fields. It addresses everyone interested in exploring media futures as open possibilities rather than linear predictions.

Method

The approach is based on speculative design and playful formats. Participants will work in teams to develop fictional scenarios and narratives that make complex issues more accessible. Creative tools suc

Target group: Ages 18-80, max. 20 participants

Workshop Leader

Tom Ritschel, Leipzig

Tom Ritschel is a process designer and serious games developer with a passion for practical utopias. For many years he has been designing and facilitating formats and co-creation processes at the intersections of art, design, research, and societal transformation. Whether as a workshop facilitator, concept developer, or artistic advisor – he brings people into productive collaborative creation. He often relies on playful and unconventional methods, always with a strong sense of dynamics and dramaturgy.
A key focus of his work is the development of analogue serious games that make complex topics such as artificial intelligence, sustainable urban development, or the energy transition tangible and engaging. Under the label Formenfinder, he works interdisciplinarily across the entire DACH region. His formats thrive on perspective shifts, visual language, and a strong design ethos – inspired by Artful Thinking, Game Thinking, and Design Thinking.