Francesco Cara, a designer, educator and curator. Francesco explores what it means to design in the current epoch, the Anthropocene, marked by climate disruption, unstoppable biodiversity loss and growing social inequality, with a focus on two domains: digital sustainability and human-wildlife coexistence. Francesco is an activist for AlGore's Climate Reality Project and for the Right to Repair. He taught ecodesign at Politecnico di Milano and IED Milano. He had various leadership roles in design at Nokia, Sapient,IconMedialab in Finland, France and the UK, and co-founded one of the earliest User-Centered Design studios in Europe, CB&J in Paris He curated Climate Space festival with Ludovico Einaudi and Ponderosa Music & Art. Francesco has a MSc and a PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of Edinburgh.
In this episode, Francesco reflects on his journey and how he went from cognitive science "in vitro" to cognition "in the wild", and design; and within design: from Human-centered design to ecodesign and human-wildlife coexistence. Francesco argues that design has a fundamental role to play in finding solutions and a new balance. He highlights the limits of ecodesign, noting that reducing social and environmental impact is not enough. He proposes a fundamental worldview shift, from considering human beings as apart from and in a position of superiority to placing human beings back within the web of life. Through several inspiring stories, he illustrates how we can create the conditions for positive relationships between people and the living world to occur. Last, he discusses his work as an activist and engaged researcher, which aims to provide more positive narratives of a future where humans live in harmony among themselves and with the living world.
To learn more about Francesco's work, follow him on LinkedIn:
and check his website: medium.com/@frakara
Credits:
Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard
Sound design & Post-production: Claudio Silva
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier