Fiona Raby is a partner in the design partnership Dunne & Raby, established in 1994. She currently teaches on The Design Interactions Course at the Royal College of Art, London. Dunne & Raby use design as a medium to stimulate discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the public about the social, cultural and ethical implications of existing and emerging technologies.
Their work has been exhibited at MOMA, the Pompidou Centre, and the Science Museum in London and is in the permanent collections of MOMA, V&A, FRAC and FNAC. They have published two books: Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects (Princeton Architectural Press) and Hertzian Tales (MIT Press).
Designers are usually expected to make technology sexy, consumable, and easy to use; our job is to ensure its entry into everyday life goes as smoothly as possible. But as it becomes more complex, we need to slow down and debate the impact of different technological futures before they happen. We need to collectively decide on which futures are the most desirable, and the least harmful. I will present projects from Dunne & Raby and students on the MA Design Interactions course at the RCA to illustrate new design roles, contexts and methods for debating the social, cultural and ethical implications of existing, and emerging technologies.
