Hope Punk
The MA Interior Architecture and Design course at the University of Portsmouth brings together students from around the world, united by a passion for climate action and social justice.
To support these ambitions, our HopePunk module invites students to imagine and design hopeful futures, act with determination, and become active agents for change and responsible global citizens. The module also fosters creativity through artist’s books, scenographic collage and storytelling, colour assemblages, and zines. Students are further encouraged to write hopeful pledges, inspired by conversations at the Dorset COP 2023 and by climate activist Michael Dower.
For this project, students co-created freestanding structures designed to activate imaginations, communities, and/or ecologies. These were conceived for neglected spaces, with the aim of revitalising both place and community. Each design responded to social, political, or environmental issues identified by the students, with a strong emphasis on social justice. Examples include The Fish Whisperer, focused on marine conservation; Nature’s Trial, where humans are held accountable for crimes against nature; Echoes of Symbiosis, which uses lichen and mycelium as structural materials to support human and non-human ecologies; and Blooming Anew, which revitalised an urban park.
The project drew inspiration from climate fiction writers Barbara Kingsolver and Richard Powers; essayists Olivia Laing and Rebecca Solnit; and theorist Rob Hopkins’ From What Is to What If, which champions imagination, play, and storytelling as tools for change. We also shared with students a summary of Michael Dower's pledges that suggest we all: consider our impact on the world; consider our impact on other people; take an active role in climate action; and demand strong leadership.
This project has attracted interest from external audiences and has been presented at The Dorset COP 2024 and The British Library’s Green Libraries Conference, where I was invited to deliver a keynote alongside Natalie Bennett. It has also featured on the SDG Vision podcast, which celebrates projects that promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Presentations
Hope Punk at Dorset COP 2024.
Sustainable Development Goals interview 2025.
Acknowledgements
Authors: Rob Hopkins, Tim Morton, Alexandra Rowland, Olivia Laing, Rebecca Solnit, Jane Bennet, Barbara KIngsolver, and Richard Powers
Artists and environmentalists: Artecology and Eileen White
Ryde Town Councillors
Interior designer: Lesley Batchelor
MA colleagues at the University of Portsmouth, School of Architecture, Art, and Design
Video: Mattix Video
Student work by:
Carla Bento
Rishika Mahanta
Lea Cepeda
Louise Williams
Gaurav Amrutlal
Ghazalehsadat Mirkarimi
Thone Aung
Ngu Han Tun
Ana Shibu
Ismail Elzahed