Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, “Unreal by Design”

• Livestream Link: This event will be in person and livestreamed. The livestream is available at the top of this page: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/unreal-by-design/
• Please note: RSVP does not guarantee entry, which is filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Doors open 15 minutes before the event begins, so be sure to arrive early.

About This Event

According to an increasing number of theoretical physicists, spacetime might not be as fundamental as we think, and new theories could emerge that describe an even more fundamental reality, especially at the quantum scale. We find it fascinating that a concept we consider so essential to our understanding of reality might be nearing the end of its usefulness—a reminder that even our seemingly most stable intellectual structures are provisional and subject to revision. It feels like we are living in a moment when reality is beginning to exceed the human imagination, both politically, scientifically, and historically. By wrestling with the unthinkable and the impossible, we believe design can enable a more meaningful engagement with the strange reality unfolding around us, a world where doubt, uncertainty, and the unknowable are the new norms.

Speakers

Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby are partners in the design studio Dunne & Raby. Through design projects and writing, they explore how speculative thought from science, philosophy, and literature can inform and expand design practice. Their books include Hertzian Tales (1999), Design Noir (2001/2021), Speculative Everything (2013), and Not Here, Not Now (2025). Their projects are featured in numerous permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and MAK Vienna. Their research has been supported by organizations such as the European Commission, Wellcome Trust, EPSRC, Arts Council England, and the Mellon Foundation, as well as industry partners including Intel and Microsoft. They have served as University Professors of Design and Social Inquiry at Parsons/The New School. Between 2005 and 2015, Anthony was Professor and Head of the Design Interactions program at the Royal College of Art, and Fiona was Reader in Design Interactions, as well as Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna. They received the inaugural MIT Media Lab Award in 2015 and were named Royal Designers for Industry and Life Fellows of the Royal Society in 2021.

Read more at: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/unreal-by-design/

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Host or Publisher Harvard University Graduate School of Design