This session will explore how design goes beyond aesthetics, and has emerged as a dynamic force that collaborates with various disciplines to drive innovation and social change. It will delve into the power of design to create groundbreaking possibilities through interdisciplinary collaboration, highlighting UTokyo’s pioneering initiatives and the development of a new approach to design education.
Miles PENNINGTON（Moderator）
Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (III) & Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo
Miles Pennington is Professor of Design Led Innovation at The University of Tokyo, where he is the Director of the DLX Design Lab. Previous to that he was at the Royal College of Art in London as the Head of Programme of the Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) joint Master’s programme with Imperial College, he is an alumnus of the IDE programme and graduated in 1992. He was also the Founder and Head of Global Innovation Design (GID), and a Director of the London office of Takram. He moved to Japan in 2017 to join The University of Tokyo where he also is Co-Director of the DLX Design Academy and a Specially Appointed Advisor to the President on Design Vision from April 2023 to present.
Vali LALIOTI
Professor Creative XR and Robotics, Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts, London
Vali LALIOTI is a pioneering designer, computer scientist and academic who helped build the first VR systems in Germany in the late 1990s and before setting up a cross-cultural VR research center in post-apartheid South Africa that explored new areas such as VR and storytelling in Township cultures. She won the Royal Television Society Judges award for her work developing the first Augmented Reality productions at the BBC and has taught innovation around the world. Her Innovation Consultancy has developed diverse projects from AR Medical books to Operatic VR and she is currently Professor in Creative XR and Robotics at the Creative Computing Institute at the University of Arts London.
FUKUHARA Shiho
Artist, HUMAN AWESOME ERROR, CEO, Poiesis Labs
FUKUHARA Shiho is an artist reimagining our relationship with technology. By blending crafts with technologies like biotechnology and smart textiles, she creates art and products that challenge our perceptions of the physical world. As a founding member and Technology Integration Lead for Google's Project Jacquard, she developed platforms for ambient computing, earning the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. Through her art, research with HUMAN AWESOME ERROR and Poiesis Labs, Shiho continues to explore the evolving relationship between technology, craft, and human consciousness.
Lukas FRANCISZKIEWICZ
Head of MA Industrial Design, Department Design, Zurich University of the Arts
Lukas FRANCISZKIEWICZ is the Head of MA Industrial Design at Zurich University of the Arts. He studied Industrial Design at Muthesius Academy in Kiel and later joined the Design Interactions department at the Royal College of Art in London. After his studies, Lukas helped establish Takram’s first international studio in London, leading design direction for a wide range of innovation projects. He has worked with global clients such as Sony, Toyota, Google, Swiss Air Lines, and the MIT Media Lab, exploring future trajectories and developing new concepts, products, and services.
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Admission: Free
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