Hand, Heart and Machine: craft in an age of automation
Global Design Forum
13 — 21 Sept 2025
Craft, Industrial & Product Design, Multi-Disciplinary Design, Materials
Great Hall
King's College
London
WC2R 2LS
Supported by
Speakers
Annie Warburton, Thomas Thwaites, Shai Akram, Carole Collet, Steve Ali
Thursday June 12th 13:30-14:30 Automation promises efficiency, but at what cost to the human? Held in partnership with Goldsmiths' Fair, this talk probes into what vanishes when machines replace hands, the existential opportunities offered by science, the emotional resonance of the making process and how design can bridge the gap between craft and industry. The speakers include designer and researcher Thomas Thwaites, who is best known for his project to build a toaster from scratch; jewellery maker Steve Ali, who discovered metalwork after leaving Syria in 2013 and living in a refugee camp in Calais; Carole Collett, sustainable materials pioneer and Professor in Design for Sustainable Futures at Central Saint Martins; and Shai Akram, co-founder of design practice Studio Alt Shift, whose is PhD is investigating the tension, complexity, and messiness of equitable collaboration between craft and industry. The talk will be chaired by Annie Warburton, chief executive of the Goldsmiths' Company, one of the 12 Great Livery Companies of the City of London, which through its foundation supports creative, technical and vocational skills in craft. Location: The Great Hall, King's College, London This edition of the Global Design Forum is supported by our Digital Media Partner, STIR. Should you have any access requirements, please contact us at rsvp@globaldesignforum.com to accommodate your visit.
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