Our guest is Justin McGuirk, the Director of Future Observatory and the curator of an upcoming exhibit at the Design Museum in London called “More Than Human” that brings together art, science and radical thinking to ask how design can help our planet thrive by shifting its focus beyond human needs.

The exhibition opens July 11 and runs to October 5, so get your tickets today so you don't miss out. Some of the contributors include Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Solange Pessoa, and a monumental seaweed installation by artist Julia Lohmann. It promises to be a must see. Visit designmuseum.org for more information on that.

The exhibition is backed by Future Observatory, which is the Design Museum’s national research program for the green transition. With funding from the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council, it has awarded millions of pounds to support research that brings together UK design researchers, universities and businesses to catalyze the transition to net zero and a green economy. 

In this episode with Justin, we talk about the exhibition and the broader work of Future Observatory in expanding the role of design in creating a green future. We also talk about what more than human design is and the need it addresses, as well as how it compares to other design frameworks like human centered design.

Huge thanks to Justin for having this discussion. Much of the work Future Observatory is involved in is - naturally - about creating the future. It's about approaches that aren't mainstream yet and solutions that are in the process of being realized. That can sometimes make it hard to wrap your head around the subject, but I think Justin does an amazing job of sharing his perspective on the field.

As always, please make sure to leave a five star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you are listening there.

Links

'More Than Human' exhibition at the Design Museum, London

Future Observatory

Future Observatory Journal