Events are an integral part of the master programs: from workshops with guests professors to lectures series with relevant practitioners.
Wed, Apr 29, 2026
Masters’ Talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHub
Open to the public
India Mahdavi
Typologies of Intuition, a conversation with Omar Sosa
Typologies of Intuition, a conversation with Omar Sosa
India Mahdavi presents a conversation exploring a practice shaped by an attentive reading of place and experience. From the vernacular minimalism of Siwa to her reinterpretation of Villa Medici, her work reflects an ongoing dialogue between past and present, where each project emerges from its context. Intuition guides this process as a flexible, human way of thinking beyond fixed rules. In Paris, this approach extends into an ecosystem of spaces that brings the studio into the street, fostering exchange, accessibility, and new forms of engagement with a wider creative community.
India Mahdavi
Color defines her work. Ornament is her language. Form is her grammar.
India Mahdavi creates environments that live, breathe, and delight —spaces in constant metamorphosis, shaped by light, mood, and memory. Based in Paris, and of Iranian and Egyptian heritage, raised across continents, she embodies a polyglot and polychrome sensibility: a synthesis of cultures and histories distilled into spaces, objects, and experiences that leave a lasting impression on the senses. Her practice spans interiors, furniture, scenography, and exhibitions, combining rigor and joy. From the Bishop stool to Sketch in London and Bar Nina in Milan, each project engages with its context and culture.
© Laura Friedli
Studio India Mahdavi is a Paris-based multidisciplinary practice working across interiors, furniture, exhibitions, and scenography. Small, nimble, and collaborative, the studio brings together architects, designers, and artisans in constant dialogue. Its ecosystem —showrooms, Project Room, and Petits Objets— acts as a laboratory for ideas and experimentation. Each project engages with its context, culture, and moment, developing environments that are sensorial, expressive, and alive. Through collaborations with leading makers, the studio extends its vision across disciplines, creating spaces and objects that spark joy and shared experience.
Wed, May 27, 2026
Masters’ Talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHub
Open to the public
Jonas Janke, b+
Love me one time, two times … x times !
Love me one time, two times … x times !
The lecture is not a conventional showcase of selected projects from our daily practice, but rather aims to provide a broader insight into the network of actors in which b+ (bplus.xyz) operates, how we understand the contemporary way of an architectural practice and scope of work of an architect, and how we approach our projects—in short: who b+ is and how we work, what our values are, and what our understanding of our duties and responsibilities as architects is.
Jonas Janke (DE, 1991) is an architect and partner at bplus.xyz (Berlin). He has a diverse background in architecture, was trained as an architectural draughtsman before pursuing his studies in Hamburg, Stockholm, and Berlin. He gained valuable experience as a tutor and assistant in various departments including design & typologies, building construction, and structural design. He was part of the team 2038, the German Pavilion at 17th Venice Architecture Biennale 2021.
His early teaching experiences include guest studios at the University of Innsbruck (Austria) and Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He is regularly invited to give lectures and guest critiques at universities, cultural institutions, and public institutions. His focus is on new ecological construction materials and methods for adaptive reuse and renovation projects, seeking pragmatic and efficient technical and mechanical solutions that use material and construction thoughtfully.
bplus.xyz (b+) is a collaborative architecture practice (led by Arno Brandlhuber, Olaf Grawert, Jonas Janke and Roberta Jurčić) that operates at the intersection of theory and practice, using different media and formats. The practice seeks to engage with the contemporary challenges of our time, particularly those related to the social-ecological transformation of existing buildings, offering economically viable solutions.
b+ understands architecture as an open process, and views buildings as part of larger systems that require a systemic approach. The practice sees the given framework of existing buildings and legislation as an active design tool with the potential for transformation. Thus, b+ celebrates the potential of the existing built environment and aims to reveal and activate the latent potentials within.
b+ emphasizes working with different actors and stakeholders in project development. The practice values their knowledge and expertise and aims to create spaces for exchange and collaboration. b+ seeks to advance a new value system in architecture, one that places greater emphasis on collective responsibility, systemic thinking, and ecologically and economically viable solutions.
The current project in the field of political activism is the European citizens’ initiative HouseEurope! – HouseEurope! wants to create incentives that make renovation the new norm. This will boost the renovation market and give new value to what is already there. The goal is to preserve homes and communities, ensure a fairer and more local building industry, save energy and resources, and preserve our memories and stories.
May 25 — 29, 2026
Conference
Geneva, Switzerland
AI for Good
Global Summit 2026
Recommended external event for MHUAI students
AI for Good Global Summit 2026 is the leading United Nations global event focused on using artificial intelligence to address major global challenges. Over five days, experts from technology, design, science, public policy and international organisations come together to explore how AI can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The event combines conferences, technology showcases, workshops and multidisciplinary collaboration spaces.
AI for Good is a United Nations initiative led by ITU that promotes the responsible use of artificial intelligence to generate positive social impact. Through summits, projects and collaborative platforms, it connects governments, companies, researchers and designers to develop technological solutions aligned with current and future social, environmental and humanitarian challenges.
May 2026
Workshop
Garden of Light, Movement & Sound, Stephanie Rodriguez
Only for MHUAI students
Garden of Light, Movement & Sound is an intensive workshop where students explore collaboration between humans, artificial intelligence and physical systems. Over four days, participants design and build reactive plants that respond to human presence through light, sound and movement. The workshop combines creativity, technology and hands-on experimentation, culminating in a collective installation that embodies the idea of human machine co creation.
The workshop offers a collaborative learning environment focused on creative experimentation with artificial intelligence and basic electronics. Participants work in small groups to design an interactive object using Arduino, sensors and AI tools as creative support. The process prioritises exploration, hands-on learning and the collective construction of a shared interactive installation.
Stephanie Rodriguez is a professional working at the intersection of technology and human experience. With a background in mechatronics engineering and intelligent interactive systems, she specialises in artificial intelligence, programming, data science and human robot interaction. Her work focuses on the ethical and human centred use of technology in creative and educational contexts.
past events
Wed, Feb 14, 2024
masters’ talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHub
Open to the public
BIG-GAME, Elric Petit & Augustin Scott de Martinville
How we turn ideas into products
The founders of BIG-GAME chose to study design because they wanted to create objects that would become part of people’s daily lives. Almost 20 years after founding the studio, transforming an idea into a product is still the most exciting part of their work. Design is not a hard science, there is no right or wrong. There are many ways to get from an idea to a finished product. Sometimes they take inspiration from unusual places and use their own methods to create models and prototypes.
Augustin Scott de Martinville, Grégoire Jeanmonod and Elric Petit are BIG-GAME. The studio describes its work as simple, functional and optimistic. It produces a variety of products and accessories for companies such as Alessi, Hay, Karimoku New Standard, Muji, Magis or Muuto. BIG-GAME’s work is often accessible, charming and, above all, useful.
The studio has received numerous awards including the Swiss Design Award, the iF design award, the Wallpaper Design Award, the Good Design Award, the Hublot Design Award and Design Preis Schweiz. BIG-GAME’s works are part of the collections of the Museum fur Gestaltung, the Vitra Design Museum, the Centre Georges Pompidou as well as the MoMA.The studio is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition to their design work, the three founders of BIG-GAME also serve as professors at ECAL / University of Arts and Design Lausanne.
Wed, Jan 17, 2024
masters’ talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHub
Open to the public
Kaave Pour, SPACE10
The New Home
The New Home
This session will highlight the home’s role in the next decade of design and technology. It will also discuss how industries will be more connected and influenced by our living spaces.
Kaave shares a decade of insights from SPACE10, envisioning new possibilities where design and technology foster a healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive society.
Kaave Pour is the Co-founder and CEO of SPACE10, a research and design lab on a mission to create a better everyday life for people and the planet. Working at the intersection of design, technology and business, he strives to create radical solutions to societal and environmental challenges. Kaave’s work includes collaborations with IKEA, Apple, UN, Harvard and MIT among others.
Much of it has been acknowledged in the press all around the world and has won numerous awards including D&AD, Webby, Dezeen and Fast Company. Furthermore, he is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer, sharing his thoughts and experiences with global brands, universities, organisations and media to encourage a curious, playful and forward-thinking approach to doing business.
SPACE10 was a research and design lab on a mission to create a better everyday life for people and planet, successfully closed September 2023 after a almost a decade of work.
We did research and design innovative solutions to some of the major societal changes expected to affect people and our planet in the years to come.
At our core, we prioritised a collaborative approach and strived to surround ourselves with people who are smarter than us. We worked with an ever-growing network of forward-thinking specialists and creatives from around the world and shared our research and ideas publicly. Alongside that, we regularly hosted exhibitions, talks, dinners and screenings to engage with people, provoke imagination, diversify our perspective and advance our mission.
SPACE10 was proudly supported by and entirely dedicated to IKEA — working as an independent research and design lab. We brought new perspectives and design new solutions that enabled IKEA to live up to their original promise of creating a better everyday life for the many people.
Wed, Dec 13, 2023
masters’ talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHub
Open to the public
Yazmany Arboleda
Color Changing Everything
At the heart of Yazmany Arboleda’s practice is the idea that art is a verb, not a noun. It is something we do, and something we see. He believes that art is a universal language of invention and agency, through which we define and redefine culture, express our shared experiences and envision all possibilities. His values driven practice centers collaboration and interdependence as a future-casting practice. The talk will explore a series of projects that showcase the evolution of his practice.
Yazmany Arboleda (b. 1981, Colombian-American) serves as the first People’s Artist for New York City at the Civic Engagement Commission and is the Founder of The People’s Creative Institute. An architect by training, Yazmany art practice fosters community connections through expansive public art initiatives. He also holds the role of Senior Artistic Advisor for the Community Art Network, He has been commissioned by Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and the United Nations.
His artistic practice is deeply rooted in the trauma he endured when his father and uncles were assassinated in Medellin, Colombia, at the age of 11. For him, art became a sanctuary for exploration and self-discovery. It has provided him with the means to grasp his own evolving identity as a continually changing individual. His mission is to convey that art can function as a similar space of discovery and transformation for others as well. He endeavors to inspire people to recognize the potential of art for personal growth and collective understanding.
Wed, Oct 25, 2023
masters’ talks
7.30 pm — Event at DHUB
Open to the public
Alice Rawsthorn
Design as an Attitude
What does design mean to us now? What will it mean in the near future? How can it help us to address the complex challenges of this turbulent, often terrifying time: from the climate emergency and refugee crisis, to curbing inequality, bigotry and violence, and ensuring that powerful new technologies will be used to make our lives better, not worse. Alice Rawsthorn will describe how the new generation of “attitudinal designers” are reinventing the practice and possibilities of design by using their skills, networks and resourcefulness to address these issues and to foster positive change.
Alice Rawsthorn is an award-winning design critic and author, whose books include Design as an Attitude and, most recently, Design Emergency: Building a Better Future. co-written with Paola Antonelli, senior design curator at MoMA, New York. Alice’s weekly design column for The New York Times was syndicated worldwide for over a decade. In all her work, Alice champions design’s potential as a social, political and ecological tool to foster positive change.
Born in Manchester and based in London, she is a founding member of the Writers for Liberty campaign for human rights and a cofounder, with Paola, of Design Emergency, a podcast and research platform that investigates design’s role in forging a fairer future.
Wednesday
May 31, 2023
7.30 pm
Gail Bichler, The New York Times Magazine
Masters’ Talks
Design for the Times
Design for the Times
The New York Times Magazine is known for bringing together ambitious journalism, powerful visuals and daring typographic systems. Creative Director, Gail Bichler will discuss how her team approaches designing for the diverse range of content that the magazine publishes including designing for current events in real-time.
She will talk about the current role of the magazine within the larger context of the Times, give a behind the scenes look at how their conceptual covers are made, and share her thoughts on the role of experimentation in everything from the magazine’s special issues to their digital presence to some of their forays into other mediums like audio and print only sections of the paper.
Gail Bichler is the creative director of The New York Times Magazine where she leads the creative team responsible for the design and art direction of The Magazine and its supplements. She and her team have won numerous awards for their print and interactive design from organizations including the Art Directors Club, the Society of Publication Designers, D&AD, the American Institute for Graphic Arts, the Type Directors Club and Creative Review, among others. Gail has taught and lectured internationally. She is a member of AGI and a former board member of the SPD.
Wednesday,
April 12, 2023
7.30 pm
Lev Manovich
Masters’ Talks
One billion Rembrandts?
Inside Visual AI Revolution
Event at COA, Plaça Nova 5
Book your seat (soon)
In an article about people using AI image synthesis tools, WSJ compared their arrival to another major technological revolution in art – the adoption of photography in the 19th century (8/19/22). New Yorker magazine stated: “How we work — even think — changes when we can instantly command convincing images into existence.” (9/19/22) NYT wrote that “A.I.-based image generators like DALL-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have made it possible for anyone to create unique, hyper-realistic images just by typing a few words into a text box.” (10/21/22)
Are we indeed living through a major revolution in visual culture? Is it true that “anybody” can create “unique” images using this technology? In my talk I will critically evaluate some of the claims made about AI Image Synthesis, and suggest alternative ways of understanding it. The talk draws on the latest chapter in the book “Artificial Aesthetics: a Critical Guide to AI, Design and Media” (Manovich and Arielli, 2021-) being published online at manovich.net
Lev Manovich is a world-renown innovator and top influencer in many fields, including digital art, media theory, digital humanities, and cultural analytics. He is a Presidential Professor at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and a Director of the Cultural Analytics Lab. Manovich was included in the list of “25 People Shaping the Future of Design” and the list of “50 Most Interesting People Building the Future”. He is an author of 15 books that include The Language of New Media described as “the most suggestive and broad-ranging media history since Marshall McLuhan.”
