ABSTRACT
Putting on special clothing was an integral part of troubling the author's sense of self and entering these worlds, and costumes still signify a transition to new ways or states of being. She believes that the ability to invoke, trouble and 'inhabit' other worlds and worldviews is instrumental to qualitative research's critical and creative role in knowledge-making. Not only was the PermaLamb considered too fantastical for some, it was also considered the most troubling in terms of both social and research ethics. PermaLamb – the speculative scenario that appeared at the beginning – is part of Counting Sheep: NZ Merino Internet of Things, a three-year research project in which the author conducted ethnographic research into merino wool and meat production. As the author was specifically interested in how speculative design ethnography might be used as a research method, matters of valuing and validating speculation were central to her work.
