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Design Field
Research Strand

The Coast Is Not a Line, It's A Zone

In this research update, More-than-human Fellow Feifei Zhou, focuses on Kupang Bay in West Timor to examine traditional fishing practices threatened by coastal erosion and salt mining. The final piece
 
Author: Feifei Zhou

Five more-than-human research projects join the Design Exchange Partnership programme

As part of a broader initiative to advance research in more-than-human design – recently reflected on in a blog post by Future Observatory director, Justin McGuirk – we are thrilled to introduce the
 

‘Urban green spaces have untapped potential for the green transition’

An interview with Katharine Willis and Ashita Gupta, Plymouth University

 
Ashita Gupta & Katharine Willis

‘Human health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet’

An interview with Paul Rodgers and Mel Woods, Design HOPES

 
Paul Rodgers & Mel Woods

More-than-human thinking for multiple audiences

Understanding the potential of designing with and for other species and living systems feels like an urgent undertaking. That is why we adopted More than Human as an ongoing research theme for 2024-5
 
Author: Justin McGuirk

Future Observatory Journal – Issue Nº2

We are delighted to bring you Issue 02 of Future Observatory Journal. We launched the journal earlier this year to explore more expansive narratives for design that respond to the true scale of the
 
Author: Justin McGuirk

The taste of bioregioning in Taiwan

Earlier this month I attended Circular Design Week in Taiwan, and had the opportunity to join a group of people from various backgrounds – design, engineering, food, publishing – curious to see some
 
Author: Justin McGuirk

‘We all have a stake in biodiversity’

In conversation with Future Observatory coordinator Leilah Hirson-Comley, Nick and Rupert share how their Design Exchange Partnership is exploring new ways to record and experience urban biodiversity.
 
Nick Dunn & Rupert Griffiths

‘Tech is shaping the conversations and culture around climate action’

An interview with Jo Walton, University of Sussex

 
Joseph Walton

Solar material mapping: Wonky Brick

Wonky Brick makes visible the journeys of the materials used in Design Researchers in Residence: Solar
 
Author: Alys Hargreaves

Open call: Artificial

The time for the residency open call has rolled around once again. For its fourth consecutive year, Future Observatory is excited to share the open call for our programme, Design Researchers in
 

The return of the grand narrative

Justin McGuirk revisits his three-tiered framework for impact in design research, with a particular focus on stories. Does the ‘green transition’ not demand a new grand narrative?
 
Author: Justin McGuirk

The impact of design: symptoms, systems and stories

At Future Observatory we increasingly think about impact in terms of three different levels: symptoms, systems and stories. Design can help us to imagine a different future, tackling the climate
 
Author: Justin McGuirk

Contaminating our current thinking

Cher Potter, Future Observatory's Curatorial Director discusses the role of design research with the Design Researchers in Residence Solar cohort.
 
Jamie Gatty Irving, April Barrett, Freya Spencer-Wood & Eliza Collin