This summer, the Design Museum will stage a landmark exhibition on more-than-human design. More than Human, which opens on 11 July 2025, marks the first curatorial collaboration between the Design Museum and its national design research programme, Future Observatory, in a major exhibition. From an enormous nature calendar to spaces designed for multispecies encounters, this exhibition aims to set a new direction for design based on humanity’s collaboration with the living world.
More than Human refers to a growing design movement that questions the human-centric lens that has defined Western design practice and embraces the idea that the flourishing of all species is interconnected. More-than-human design calls for focused attention on the needs of environments and the species they host. Designers, architects and artists are increasingly directing their work towards the needs of non-human species. The approaches emerging range from the sharing of ancient knowledge to the design of new habitats and, ultimately, the shifting of perspectives.
Highlights include major new commissions by four designers who were supported with Future Observatory research fellowships. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is producing a vast new tapestry exploring the perspectives of pollinators, while an 8m-long mural by MOTH (More Than Human Life Project) depicts the growing movement to award legal rights to waterways around the world. The other research commissions are by the Brazilian architect Paulo Tavares and the Chinese spatial and visual designer Feifei Zhou. Meanwhile, the designer Julia Lohmann is creating a large-scale seaweed installation specifically for the exhibition, a series of organic forms that will appear to grow from the floor of the gallery. The exhibition and new commissions are funded by UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
There are more than 50 artists, architects and designers in the exhibition, including Ant Farm, Marcus Coates, Dunne & Raby, Forensic Architecture, Formafantasma, Andrés Jaque, Julia Lohmann, Kate Orff/Scape, Solange Pessoa, Reef Design Lab, Diana Scherer and Xu Tiantian to name a few, several of whom are presenting new work.
By bringing together over 140 works spanning contemporary and traditional practices, fine art, product design, architecture and interactive installations, the exhibition will explore how humans can relearn to design with and for the natural world in the face of climate emergency.
More than Human is co-curated by Future Observatory director Justin McGuirk and the Design Museum’s senior curator Rebecca Lewin and will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalogue.
Justin McGuirk, Director of Future Observatory says, “This is not just another exhibition about ‘sustainable design’, this is a radical rethink of design’s role in the world. While much of the work in the exhibition is nascent or exploratory, it represents a fundamental shift in worldview toward humans using design not just for their own benefit but for the flourishing of the living systems we depend upon. More than Human is what design needs to become in the 21st century.”
Rebecca Lewin, Senior Curator at the Design Museum says, “We want people to leave the exhibition feeling inspired and informed but also hopeful for the future. The huge network of issues raised by the climate crisis can feel overwhelming, but the fields of design, art and architecture are finding creative and often beautiful solutions for the needs of the planet. It has been heartening to collaborate with such an incredible group of talented creative minds from across the globe to bring this project together.
More than Human will open at the Design Museum in London on 11 July 2025, with tickets available to book from today.