OOO (Out Of Office)

Digital freedom comes with invisible chains

Remote work has become part of everyday life, and digital tools are only making it more dominant. But what does this shift mean for people in the long run? Out of Office (OOO) looks at the hidden costs of a highly digitalised work culture: blurred boundaries, constant surveillance, and the risk of losing what makes us human. The project asks whether a future built only on efficiency and technology is the one we truly want, and what kind of balance between work, life, and humanity we should strive for.

Artefacts as mirrors

OOO presents strange, slightly absurd discursive objects. Each seems to solve a problem, but also exposes new risks. The Mouse Treadmill promises productivity but hints at surveillance. The Work-Life Balance Clock measures well-being yet risks reducing life to numbers. The Face-Set Lens helps manage online image but challenges authenticity. With humour and exaggeration, these speculative artefacts serve as conversation starters rather than solutions. Developed through sketches, feedback, and exhibitions, OOO uses playful design fiction to make today’s challenges more visible, tangible, and debatable.

Laugh, question, reflect

By exaggerating remote work tools, OOO highlights how today’s digital choices may shape tomorrow’s workplaces. It fits within the theme Digital Future by showing how unchecked efficiency and technology could create futures that feel less human. Visitors are invited to laugh, question, and reflect on whether this is the path we want. At the same time, OOO acknowledges its limits: these imagined futures are intentionally close to current trends, making them relatable but also uncomfortably realistic. Still, their absurdity opens space for discussing more sustainable, inclusive, and human-centred ways of working.