Talk + Gaming Workshop: Zoo as a Future Heritage|28 May 2025|14:00|Leiden University

SIMMR (Student Initiative for Multimodal Methods in Research) is delighted to announce its first student-led event: a book talk/presentation by designer Terezie Štindlova, followed by a participatory gaming workshop by artist-researcher Yun-Pei Hsuing.

Event Description:

This combined talk and gaming workshop explores participatory art designed to engage the public in reimagining zoos for a better future. Zoos, as cultural and political constructs, have complex origins rooted in imperialism and power, and their heritage narratives are often shaped by anthropomorphic and human-centred top-down decisions. By diving into participatory modes of conducting design research, this lecture-workshop seeks to incorporate speculative thinking into communal acts of creation for reimagining zoos and their cultural heritage as constitutive of human-animal relations.

In the first part, invited artist and designer Terezie Śtindlova will provide a firsthand introduction to her captivating book, Zoo Index, which examines the (un)relevance of zoos and how they shape our gaze towards nonhuman animals, to ourselves and one another. Following her presentation, artist-researcher Yun-Pei Hsuing will lead a board-game workshop to develop design research methods where participants will explore alternative and speculative futures for zoos through various gameplay strategies.

Timetable:

14:00 – 15:00: Lecture by Terezie Štindlová: The Making of Zoo Index: An Introduction
15:00 – 15:15: Break (Tea and snacks)
15:15 – 16:30: Gaming Workshop by Yun-Pei Hsuing

Location:

Johan Huizinga Building, Room 0.11 (Journalism Lab), Leiden University (Doelensteeg 16. Leiden)

About the Artists:

Terezie Štindlová is a designer, one half of a non-workaholic studio Day Shift Office, a concrete office chair maker and a founder of the ZOO Index project. Her research dives into the (un)necessity of zoos in contemporary society in connection with current office culture, shedding light on the power dynamics of labour and control exerted through (human) design. She graduated from Werkplaats Typografie in 2023 and is currently based in Amsterdam.

Born in 1985 and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, Yun-Pei Hsiung is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in Design Products. His practice focuses on creating tools and participatory workshops, using social sculpture to inspire collective action. His work frequently engages with themes of public space, social housing, neo-capitalism, and Taiwan’s geopolitical landscape. Additionally, Yun-Pei utilises drawing as a medium for self-expression, exploring and expressing his queer Asian identity.