Design Researchers in Residence: Artificial, in Conversation

Future Observatory Curator

Christie is an artist and designer who crafts new stories from old ideas. Their work engages with how the Anthropocene’s separation of humans and non-humans produced our planetary crisis. Through counter mapping, their practice engages with ecology, technoscience and heterodoxy. Christie has undertaken residencies at the European Commission, the University of Birmingham and Hanger CIA.

Hani is a researcher, writer and curator who works at the edges of many disciplines, practices, and ideas; connecting the dots. These interests are grounded in critical spatial thinking, stemming from his background in architecture. Further studies at the LSE led to an interest in systems and the infrastructures that shape our lives. Hani is a curator and moderator at De Dépendance in Rotterdam and was formerly Co-Curator of the International Architecture Biennial in Rotterdam and Senior Researcher at The Quality of Life Foundation.

Laura is an industrial designer working across objects, tech, and speculative design. Her work focuses on imagining radical sustainability strategies for the future of consumer electronics, as well as experimenting beyond the expected aesthetics of technology. Laura has a Master’s in Industrial Design from the Strate School of Design. She spent five years at Map Project Office and is currently a Senior Designer at BLOND.

Neba is a spatial practitioner advocating for diversity and inclusion in architecture. She is an associate professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where her research focuses on decolonisation and decarbonisation. Neba co-leads decosm with Umi Lovecraft and is the Co-Director of Black Females in Architecture. Her previous roles include Senior Project Officer with the GLA's Regeneration Team and leading youth projects at Build Up Foundation.

A free display of new design research responding to the climate crisis. This year's Design Researchers in Residence responded to the theme of ‘Artificial’, questioning the limits of human-centred design in a more-than-human climate crisis.