Design Fiction in the Act: After Yang (2022)
Investigating background evidence to interpret implications within the diegesis.
After Yang is a science fiction drama by A24, directed by Kogonada and released in 2022, featuring an ensemble cast including Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, and Haley Lu Richardson. The film is an adaptation of the short story "Saying Goodbye to Yang" by Alexander Weinstein.
This movie revolves around a family that includes a couple, their adopted daughter, and Yang—a humanoid robot who's more like family than a mere helper. Yang isn't just a beloved part of the family; he's an integral part of their lives, as beloved as any human member.
This film unravels gently. It's a quiet movie that slowly draws you in, giving you space to appreciate its cinematography and direction. It's a narrative that grabs hold of your thoughts and doesn't let go, akin to a kinder, gentler version of "Black Mirror." The world in which it's set is familiar, it doesn't feel like it's set in the future at all. This film encapsulates the kind of mundane future that I often explore in my work.
Delving into the Design Fiction of "After Yang"
Usually, this is where I'd get into the nitty-gritty, pulling up a bunch of screenshots to highlight the background details that hint at the broader world and its implications. But "After Yang" offers a different spin on design fiction that I think warrants attention.
That brings me to the intriguing aspect of design fiction in this film—or rather, the notable absence of it. Usually, design fiction elements are fragments, not the whole—they're the evidence of the technology or the situation. We see them as posters, product packaging, or ads. However, in "After Yang", there's a particular element that's conspicuously missing, subtly signaling its implications. I must admit, this wasn't a realization I arrived at independently; it took reading an interview with the film's production designer to put the missing pieces together.
Alexandra Schalle was interviewed by Arch Daily on her work in After Yang. In this interview she briefly mentions that there is no plastic in the diegesis of this film.
[…] there were to be no props or scenery that were immediately disposable and everything had to be either renewable or biodegradable, so there’s no plastic in the world.
This, in its own understated way, felt like design fiction. Instead of showcasing 'the artifact', it draws attention through its absence. This missing piece becomes a puzzle element, subtly narrating part of the story.
This approach truly sparked my imagination and made me reconsider my own approach to design fiction. It's made me think about the silence between the notes, the empty spaces that invite interpretation. It's challenged me to leave room for something else—or perhaps nothing at all—to take center stage.