Designers construct a material sensibility through ‘making’ within a design process; a sensibility which is co-constructed by giving shape to artefacts and systems together with other stakeholders in a participatory design process.

Complex research contexts have required reconsideration of the ways in which this ‘making’ takes place. Particularly during recent pandemics, requirements of having to collaborate across different places and/or time periods prompted designers to adapt their praxes, generating reflective insight into how the materiality of participatory making (which includes sketches, toolkits, probes, samples, role play performances, prototypes, and others) may support or challenge the co-construction of shared material sensibilities.

In this workshop, we invite PD designers and researchers to reflect on and play with the materiality of participatory making while apart in order to co-create a constellation or network of design practices, materials, and audiences which can provide important insights for designers who face restrictions on meeting stakeholders face-to-face.