Atrium Free Display Now closed
Designing for our Future Selves
Curated in partnership with the Design Age Institute, Designing for our Future Selves explores how design is transforming the way society can support everyone to age with greater agency and joy.
What to expect
Designing for our Future Selves builds on last year’s successful Future of Ageing display, which celebrated the one thing we all have in common – that we're all getting older, no matter our age.
The 21st century is shaping up to be a century of centenarians. With more of us living longer, an increasing proportion of the UK’s population will hopefully become part of an older, healthier, more financially secure, and technologically savvy demographic.
But we will also face many global challenges, including automation resulting in job losses, the climate emergency, global pandemics, and the cost of living. The traditional life stages of education, employment and retirement will need to be radically reimagined.
The new display will showcase how, in a changing world, cutting-edge design can help people to not only live their later years more independently, sustainably and healthily but also with joy and fulfilment.
It will feature 10 design initiatives currently being developed by Design Age Institute and its partners aimed to positively impact the way we live and work as we grow older.
#WeAreAllAgeing
#YourFutureSelf
Exhibition photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg
Hamlyn Walker, Michael Strantz
Inclusive banking; Illustrations by Jess Nash. Exhibition photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg
Home Office workspace by Paul Jones, Chris Brown and Adam Cosheril. Exhibition photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg
Packaging Products Petition
Coaroon, Colin Wilson. Exhibition photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg
Tides, Eeva Rinne
Freedom, Luii, courtesy of Binding Sciences Ltd. Exhibition photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg
Booking information
No pre-booking is needed to see the free displays.
The display can be visited daily from 10:00 to 18:00 in the museum's Atrium.
Please note: Exhibition now closed.
Meet your Future Self
What will the future you be like? Will you enjoy the same things as you do now, live in the same house, work in the same job, follow the same social accounts?
Explore your future needs, wants and desires with our #FutureYou chatbot, created to coincide with the duration of our display Designing for Our Future Selves.
To get chatting, simply DM us on Instagram saying Hello.
Partners
Funded by Research England, the Design Age Institute brings together expertise from across world-leading research, design, innovation and learning including the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (HHCD) at the Royal College of Art (RCA); the National Innovation Centre for Ageing at Newcastle University (NICA), University of Oxford’s Institute of Population Ageing (OIPA), the International Longevity Centre (ILC) and the Design Museum.
Background Image: Home Office workspace by Paul Jones, Chris Brown and Adam Cosheril.