Sustainable Materials - Part II
Panelists:
Sang Yup Lee - Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, Hyundai Motor Company
Charlotte McCurdy, designer
Celine Semaan - Founder, SlowFactory
Andrew Haarsager, former founding director, Cartier Innovation Lab
The conversation underscored the importance of audacious material innovation in support of a more sustainable and just world. Panelists considered how to educate future designers to develop new materialities that support climate justice and launch new types of businesses that transorm manufacturing itself.
Haptic Futures: Sustainable Materials in Design Innovation
Date: September 25
Location: at The Fifth Avenue Hotel
Cunningham brings together professionals in the automotive, fashion and design sectors to duscuss how materials innovation is creating meaningful change in their industries and what impact this has on art and design education and beyond.
The future of materials is at a critical moment within the sustainability movement.
The speed at which designers can develop new technologies and materials, speculative design and climate justice are just some of the themes driving discussion across multiple industries.
At the event, Cunningham and Lee noted last week’s launch of the Regeneration Studio, the latest in Hyundai Motor Group’s ongoing research collaboration with RISD that uses biomimicry to design utterly new approaches to future structure in the automotive industry. Lee observed, “Design plays an important role in the progress of jumanity. Sustainability is not an option; we mush ask ourselves”what can we do for the next generation?” In our collaboration with RISD, we have designers, engineers and product planners study at the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, examining how we can learn from every aspect of nature, and we are beginning to apply this deep learning to the manufacturing process.”
McCurdy added, “There is so much potential for art and design to help shape public imagination and public demand for change in the climate space. But everyone asks”what can we do?” We hould be asking “what could we do?” Can implies a set menu, but could opens the possibilities for artists and designers to forage for entirely new ideas and alternatives.”
