Thought Starters

​​It's been a decade of protest. And from the Women's march to the Brexit marches, what these large-scale political expressions carry with them is an outpouring of creativity. That's exactly what's explored at Hope to Nope, a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London. We were lucky enough to get the two curators, Margaret Cubbage​ and Lucienne Roberts join us in the Pod to record this episode, who told us the back story behind the exhibition and spoke more about the intersection between graphics and politics. ​​Hope to Nope runs at the Design Museum until 15 August.

​Today, we talk about architecture – its great triumphs, its failures, and where the world is headed. In conversation: architect Farshid Moussavi and writer and critic Phineas Harper. ​​Iranian-born Farshid Moussavi is an internationally acclaimed architect and educator, who founded her own eponymous practice in London in 2011, after first establishing Foreign Office Architects in the early 1990s. Her projects range from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland to the Victoria Beckham Flagship Store in London, with a portfolio that crosses continents and categories. ​Phineas Harper is the deputy director of the Architecture Foundation, an independent not-for-profit think tank in London, as well as being a critic, author and designer. He writes a regular opinion column for Dezeen, and is chief curator of the 2019 Oslo Architecture.

​​​The Gentlewoman and Gal Dem are two very different magazines combatting a common problem: how women are spoken to by women's magazines. To coincide with International Women's Day, we invited editors Penny Martin and Liv Little into the Pod to discuss their growing magazines, and the role of the editor.

​​​Sartorially speaking, London is home to some of the world’s finest craftsmanship. Look no further than Savile Row. But for brands that have been there for decades using traditional techniques for traditional garments – how to stay relevant? ​​​​We meet Campbell Carey of Huntsman (founded in 1849) and George Glasgow Sr or Cleverley (founded 1958). We discuss why different hands make different clothes, and working till you drop.

​​​It's the biggest event in the world, and one of the most recognisable brands. So what goes into designing for the Olympics? We speak to Chris Moody, Chief Design Officer at Wolff Olins, the global brand design studio tasked with designing London's 2012 Olympic identity. Joining him is James Hurst, principle at DesignStudio, who knows a thing or two about designing for sports mega-brands – in 2016, his DesignStudio completed the redesign of the British Premier League identity.

​​​Today we discuss art and ability. Intoart is an art and design studio that collaborates with people with learning disabilities, creating beautiful and thought-provoking pieces. Henry Ward is the former Head of Education at the Southbank Centre​ and currently is the creative director at the Freelands Foundation, whose mission is to support artists and cultural institutions to broaden audiences for the visual arts.​

​​On the agenda: diversity in the art and design world, what it might take for museums and galleries to be more inclusive, and the perennial question – what is art, and who decides?

​​Airbnb is a tech company super success. Yet, it's also a multi-faceted, forward-thinking organisation, reconsidering architecture and space and how they can work for you (and for others). In 2014, Airbnb rebranded, moving to a more mature identity that is now known the world over; James Greenfield led that design work.

​​If you've been through White City Place recently, you'll notice a new light installation creating beautiful, glowing patterns. We invited Spandana Gopal, founder of Tiipoi to join us in the Pod to talk about the installation. Joining her, Afroditi Krassa, one of London's preeminent hospitality designers, behind the interior design of Dishoom, Itsu and The Perfectionists' Cafe.

​​Today things get a little spooky. We meet Tobias Revell and Natalie Kane, who together form Haunted Machines. ​Haunted Machines explores narratives of myth, magic and haunting around technology. They've recently participated in the Serpentine Galleries’ 24-hour event on artificial intelligence, machines and consciousness this year – called Guest, Host, Ghost – and most recently curated the Impakt festival 2017 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. ​​One the agenda: why we still haven’t shaken our industrial-era understanding of machines and technology, and the undeniable creepiness of Alexa.

​Yinka Ilori is a London based designer. He specialises in up-cycling vintage furniture, inspired by the traditional Nigerian parables and African fabrics that surrounded him as child. This past September, he create a colourful playground outside the CitizenM hotel in Shoreditch, the hotel group of which Robin Chadha is the Chief Marketing Officer. Together, they discuss what India and Nigeria have in common when it comes to design, and why it's so rare for adults to think about ‘play.​'