New Models is a lecture series that invites practitioners from different disciplines to discuss how their work can change the models around which society is organised. These conversations will address how we can shift power structures, socio-economic forces and structural inequalities present in society today to give us new tools to rethink the world around us.​
The events of 2020 bring into stark relief the interdependencies of multiple, ongoing emergencies facing life on this planet: the COVID-19 global pandemic and its socio-economic fallout, deep ecological breakdown, the epidemic of systemic racism and the rise of Western authoritarianism are connected crises. They represent global systems in decline, the transformation of which require radical co-ordinated action across all sectors of society, and at multiple scales. For those working towards decarbonisation—contingent on industrial strategies grounded in equity, justice and care—raising impact-oriented capital for purpose-driven technologies, re-framing social narratives and facilitating collaborative and diverse approaches to policymaking are urgent tasks for a post-COVID 19 world. What role can design play?
Natsai Audrey Chieza is founder and CEO at Faber Futures. She is a leading thinker on the transformative role design can play in the equitable development of consumer biotechnology. With over ten years of experience co-developing multi-sector innovation strategies and shaping policy with global institutions, she leads a dynamic team that translates value and transforms systems across education, design, life science, and manufacturing industries. Over a decade of experimentation, Chieza established novel design-driven processes for bacteria textile colouration, which have been exhibited internationally, including at Ars Electronica, Design Museum, Pompidou Centre, Vitra Design Museum and the Science Gallery Dublin. A TED speaker, Chieza has given talks on transdisciplinary, including at Design Indaba, SxSW, BoF, and Dezeen Day, and has taught on biodesign programmes at Central Saint Martins in London and the Bartlett School of Architecture. She was awarded the INDEX award in 2019 and is named on ICON Design 100 2019, Evening Standard Progress 1000 2019, It’s Nice That Ones to Watch 2019, and OkayAfrica’s 100 Women 2018. Chieza is a member of the current session of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Synthetic Biology, contributing to the industry’s roadmap for a world changed by COVID-19.
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