Season 2: Episode 17 - The Nature of Design with Ewan McEoin

How might we reconcile the human species with the natural environment through excellent design?

This week on The Learning Future podcast, we speak with Ewan McEoin, Hugh D.T Williamson Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture at the NGV. We discuss the power of design to transcend pure aesthetics and ergonomics to include the political, social and ecological contexts in which things emerge. What are the consequences of our design choices, and how do we make the true cost of choice visible? Ewan takes us through increased transparency, empathy through an object, educating educators around design, and how we can support all people to be designers. Everyone can have a go at coming up with a better way of doing something.

Ewan McEoin is Hugh D.T Williamson Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture at the NGV. His role at the NGV includes collecting, advocating, and curating exhibitions, including solo, survey and thematic exhibitions. Key projects include the NGV Triennial (2017 and 2020), the annual NGV Architecture Commissions program (2015 – 2020) and the annual Melbourne Design Week program, Australia’s leading international design festival. Ewan comes to the NGV after two decades of working in design strategy, curating and publishing. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Design and the Social Context at RMIT University and a member of the Board of the Robin Boyd Foundation.