TEACHING
2025 
Guest faculty in ‘Concept-driven interaction design’ at Chalmers University of Technology – Lectures and workshops / Interaction Design MA

Guest faculty in ‘Emergency architecture and resilient design’ at Chalmers University of Technology – Lectures and workshop / Architecture MA


2023
Organization and facilitation of workshop on ‘Worldbuilding in video games’ at École Estienne – Workshop / Design BA


2021
Guest faculty in ‘Social urban planning’ at Leiden School of Urban Studies – Workshops and project supervisions / Urban Studies BA / Workshop microsite: Laan Van NOI Redesign

Organization and facilitation of workshop on ‘Designing for Precious Plastics in India‘ at L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique – Workshop and project supervision / Design MA / Presentation deck: Designing for Precious Plastics in India


2020
Organization and facilitation of workshop on ‘Introduction to Speculative Design’ at School Of Design, UPES – Workshop / Industrial Design / BA

Organization and facilitation of workshop on ‘Envisioning Ahmedabad in 2050’ at Anant National University – Workshop and project supervisions / Industrial Design BA / Project microsite: Ahmedabhad 2050


2019
Guest faculty in ‘Immersive storytelling with Unity’
at L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique, India Studio – Workshop and project supervisions / Design Strategy MA / Microsite: Pune2050, Futuring in Fortnite Creative

Guest faculty in ‘Immersive storytelling with Unity’ at National Institute of Design – Workshop and project supervisions / Exhibit Design MA / Microsite: Immersive storytelling in Unity


2017
Organization and facilitation of workshop on ‘Primary research for worldbuilding’ at Art Center College of Design – Workshop and project supervisions / Entertainment Design BA
EXHIBITS & TALKS
2025 
  • (UPCOMING) Exhibitor at Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam / Artwork: Lagares do Alvará (with What A Mess) / Rotterdam, NL

  • 2024







    • 2021 


    • 2020
    • Speaker at Kazerne / Talk title: Alternative futures / Online Eindhoven, NL

    • Exhibitor at Processing Community Day / Artwork: Photo Sueding (with Harshit Vishwakarma) / New Delhi, IND


      2018
      Exhibitor at the Irregulars Art Fair / Artwork: The barricade inside the gallery (with Harshit Vishwakarma) / New Delhi, IND




    • 2014
    • Exhibitor at the Maker Faire Bay Area / Project Tables x Paddles / San Jose, US


    RESIDENCIES & RECOGNITION
    2025     


    • 2022
    • Designer in residence at La Gaîté Lyrique for the Agoraverse workshop series (with Makan Fofana aka Banlieue du Turfu) / Paris, FR
    • 2021 
    • Fellow in the NewNew program, Superrr Lab / (with Makan Fofana aka Banlieue du Turfu) / Paris, FR

    HUGO PILATE


    / DESIGN RESEARCHER & DIGITAL ARTIST
    MEDIUM ( ) — LINKEDIN () — VIMEO () — GITHUB () — MEDIUM ( ) — LINKEDIN () — VIMEO () — GITHUB () —
    Göteborg, SE

    Research-focused design practitioner and project manager, with 10+ years of experience working across the US, India, France, and the Netherlands, now based in Sweden.

    I am specialized in user research and participatory methods with a strong curiosity for digital cultures and urbanistic questions. My work draws inspiration from gaming culture, creative coding, speculative design, and critical spatial practices. 

    Lately, this practice has taken the shape of investigative reports on the use of digital twins in Gothenburg, virtual spaces used to pitch future urban developments, game-based collaborative experiences for young adults, and courses on site-specific speculation.

    Elsewhere, I am one half of the artist duo What A Mess.

    Find my latest portfolio here ( 🗂️ ).
    / hugopilate@gmail.com


    LATEST WORKS
    COUNTER-TWINNING IN GOTHENBURG

    2023 - 2025  MASTERS THESIS, MFA in Design, HDK-Valand

    An investigation of Gothenburg’s urban digital twinning ecosystem with a critical interrogation of its actors’ ability to provide opportunities for meaningful civic engagement.

    The work resulted in the shadowing of the development of the KultVis digital twin and the production of my own digital twin prototypes inspired by the practice of cartography. 

    The project resulted in the production of three “counter-twins” which explore new approaches to spatio-temporal visualizations of contested sites by drwaing inspiration from the practice of counter-cartography.


    Project microsite (🔗 External)
    Masters thesis (🔗 External)

    DESIGN STRATEGY
    NEW MEDIA ART
    CRITICAL SPATIAL PRACTICE
    CO-PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAMMETRY
    COUNTER-CARTOGRAPHY
    SITE-SPECIFIC PRODUCTION


    TURFU PROJECT WORLDBUILDING FROM THE PERIPHERIES OF THE WORLD

    2022 - 2025 — Funding: Erasmus+ Grant

    The Turfu Project is an EU-funded effort to develop a worldbuilding methodology and playbook for youths across Europe living in various forms of peripheries. The intent of the project was to encourage the imagination of desirable futures rooted in otherwise often overlooked territories, based on an original concept by artist and philosopher, Makan Fofana.

    My role was to managed the development of the playbook, design and roll-out its visual identity, and coordinate efforts across consortium members.


    Project Instagram: (🔗 External)     DESIGN STRATEGY
    CO-PRODUCTION
    WORLDBUILDING
    TURFU
    ENVISIONING THE CONSOLIDATION OF GOTHENBURG’S LOCAL FOOD ECOSYSTEM

    2024 — Client: AlmostThere for Natet

    Evening-long workshop bringing together producers, distributors, processors and potential customers to identify core values, drivers, and challenges shaping the development of Gothenburg’s local food ecosystem.

    My role was to consult on workshop design, production and documentation, with a focus on providing a hybrid experience for online and in-person participants, and producing a booklet capturing the consolidated set of recommended strategies .     DESIGN STRATEGY
    CO-PRODUCTION
    SITE-SPECIFIC PRODUCTION

    WHATAMESS.CITY

    2024 — Self-Initiated

    What A Mess is an artist collective founded by Pedro Gil Farias and myself, exploring how the digital and physical built environments inform each other; with a special interest for less market-dependent ways of engaging with these spaces. 

    Our work uses a mix of site-specific documentation processes then translated into interactive installations made using readily available open-source tools (as much as possible!).


    Collective’s site (🔗 External)
    NEW MEDIA ART
    CRITICAL SPATIAL PRACTICE
    PHOTOGRAMMETRY
    SITE-SPECIFIC PRODUCTION