Designing Conditions of Credibility: Antonio Scarponi at DxS Conference 2026.
Antonio Scarponi, founder of Conceptual Devices, will present “Designing Conditions of Credibility” at the Design (per) Semiotics Conference 2026 in Rome on 15 and 16 October. This year’s conference explores “Il credibile e l’incredibile: architetture dell’immaginazione” (The Credible and the Incredible: Architectures of Imagination).
The contribution examines how design constructs the conditions through which possible futures become thinkable, shareable and ultimately real. It shifts attention from the representation of possible worlds to the epistemic conditions that shape perception, decisions and possibilities for action.
Drawing on Epistemic Design, Scarponi introduces Spatial Thinking as an operational domain in which material, cognitive and institutional configurations interact to shape what becomes credible. The contribution also presents DEMA through four epistemic actions: Displace, Expose, Mediate and Activate.
Presented with affiliations to Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and Conceptual Devices, the contribution forms part of Scarponi’s ongoing research into design, knowledge production and spatial transformation. The abstract appears 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