Spatial Thinking at DxS 2026: Designing Conditions of Credibility
Antonio Scarponi, co-founder of the Institute for Spatial Thinking, will present “Designing Conditions of Credibility” at the Design (per) Semiotics Conference 2026, taking place in Rome on 15 and 16 October.
The conference theme, “Il credibile e l’incredibile: architetture dell’immaginazione” (The Credible and the Incredible: Architectures of Imagination), provides the context for a contribution exploring how design constructs the conditions through which possible futures become thinkable, shareable and ultimately real.
Drawing on Epistemic Design, Scarponi introduces Spatial Thinking as an operational domain in which material, cognitive and institutional configurations interact in the formation of regimes of credibility. This perspective shifts attention from representations of possible worlds to the conditions that shape perception, decision-making and possibilities for action.
The contribution also presents DEMA through four epistemic actions: Displace, Expose, Mediate and Activate. These actions address how design reconfigures emerging relationships and meanings, connecting spatial transformation with the production of knowledge.
The presentation brings this research into dialogue with semiotics and the conference’s investigation of credibility and imagination. Scarponi’s contribution is listed with affiliations to Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and Conceptual Devices. The abstract is included on page 28 of the conference’s Book of Abstract.
Conference: DxS: Design (per) Semiotics Conference 2026 Dates: 15 and 16 October 2026 Location: Rome, Italy Contribution: Designing Conditions of Credibility Speaker: Antonio Scarponi, co-founder of the Institute for Spatial Thinking