The Ethics of an Aesthetics of Wonder for Planetary Care

Karey Helms; Meike Schalk; Airi Lampinen

doi:10.7764/disena.28.Article.5

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Published: Jan 28, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7764/disena.28.Article.5

Keywords:

children, more-than-human, seasonal design, place-based, temporality infancia, más-que-humano, diseño estacional, basado en el lugar, temporalidad

Karey Helms

Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University; Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1454-7854

Meike Schalk

KTH School of Architecture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1744-6776

Airi Lampinen

Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9100-3826

Abstract

In design, the expression of values through form and experience is often referred to as aesthetics. In response to the ecological crisis, we explore wonder as a design aesthetics for planetary care. This exploration occurs through the presentation and critique of three seasonal activities with children in Sweden, aimed at inspiring local ecological curiosity: Appreciating the Wind, Looking for Frog Eggs, and Making Natural Perfumes. From these activities, we reflect upon the ethics of an aesthetics of wonder. This includes addressing the prioritization of human experience and the commodification of nature in design. We offer three contributions: defining and positioning wonder as a possible design aesthetics for planetary care, presenting three seasonal activities that situate wonder as an aesthetics in practice, and offering reflections on the ethics of wonder based on a critique of the activities.

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How to Cite

Helms, K., Schalk, M., & Lampinen, A. (2026). The Ethics of an Aesthetics of Wonder for Planetary Care. Diseña, (28), Article.5. https://doi.org/10.7764/disena.28.Article.5

Issue

No. 28 (2026): The Planetary Condition: Designs, Coexistences, and Care to Reimagine Habitability (1st Issue)

Section

Original Articles (part 1)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

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Author Biographies

Karey Helms, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University; Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå University

Associate Professor at the Umeå Institute of Design at Umeå University. She holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and was a Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University. After obtaining a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia, she pursued an MFA in Interaction Design from Umeå University. Her research draws upon care ethics and posthuman feminism to design for situations where technology is often considered out of place, such as in outdoor environments or intimate settings of care. Recent publications include “Toying with Relations: Speculative Toys for Children and Sustainability” (co-authored with P. Jääskeläinen, S. Lindberg, E. Sporrong, A. Menon, M. Schalk, and A. Lampinen; in NORDES 2025); “Regenerative Material Ecologies in HCI” (with I. Nicenboim, E. Karana, H. McQuillan, L. Devendorf, Y. Kakehi, F. Bell, C. Speed, D. Oogjes, L., Yao, M. Søndergaard, and S. Withers; CHI 2025); and “Generosity in More-than-human Design” (DRS2024).

Meike Schalk, KTH School of Architecture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Professor in Urban Design and Urban Theory at the School of Architecture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. She holds a PhD in Theoretical and Applied Aesthetics of Landscape Architecture from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. She is the initiator and co-editor of the Learnings/Unlearnings Readers series on the online platform Urgent Pedagogies (Iaspis, 2025‒2026). Recent publications include “Caring Architecture for Human and More-than-human Coexistence” (co-authored with K. Nawratek and J. Frisk; in Building + Breaking: Eight Conversations About Spatial Justice, Danish Architectural Press, 2024).

Airi Lampinen, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University

Associate Professor in Human-Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, and Docent in Social Psychology at the University of Helsinki. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Helsinki. Her research interests―in the fields of HCI and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work―include interpersonal and economic aspects of networked platforms and algorithmic systems. Recent publications include “Shared Use of Intimate Technology: A Large-Scale Qualitative Study on the Use of Natural Cycles as a Digital Contraceptive” (co-authored with M. Balaam, D. Yadav, N. Campo Woytuk, M. Ciolfi Felice, J.Y. Park, R. Blanco Cardozo; Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 9, Issue 2) and “Friction in Processual Ethics: Reconfiguring Ethical Relations in Interdisciplinary Research” (with R. Garrett, P. Brundell, S. Castle-Green, K. Hawkins, P. Tennent, F. Zhou, K. Höök, S. Benford; Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems).

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