Sitraka Rakotoniaina

Biography

Sitraka Rakotoniaina was born in Madagascar and raised in Paris before relocating to London in 2008 to pursue studies at the Royal College of Art in the Design Interactions program.

Sitraka is an independent artist and designer with a keen interest in speculative design and world-building. Their practice revolves around the use of designed objects, artifacts, rituals, and various 'things' to construct narratives that aim to provoke, imagine, and engage. Using design as an investigative tool, Sitraka critically examines and challenges prevailing socio-technical imaginaries while forging new connections between individuals and technology.

Sitraka's work is also characterised by its eclectic nature, embracing a methodological openness that transcends specific frameworks, crafts, or predetermined aesthetics. Since 2015, Sitraka has been running a public facing research endeavour called Very Very Far Away (VVFA), which strives to democratise future narratives that are often portrayed as monocultural constructs in dire need of diversity and reimagining.

With a particular focus on space exploration and extended time horizons as narrative devices, VVFA employs world-building as a means to collectively and critically reflect upon our present realities. Through fiction, we uncover hidden prejudices and attitudes that shape our current worldview.

Currently, Sitraka is a doctoral candidate at the University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins, where their research centres around the production of speculative cosmologies and the design of simulations as critical design practices, with a particular emphasis on postcolonial imaginaries and their influence on design and cosmological narratives.