Behnaz Farahi: Critical Matter

Design Tech Public Lecture Series

Abstract

This presentation addresses the notion of critical computation and explores how emerging technologies can be used to address social, cultural, and political issues. By demonstrating a series of interdisciplinary projects, the attempt is to show ways in which materials of the environment can be imbued with intelligence and life-like behavior in order to interface with human emotion. The goal is to address the possibility of an empathetic relationship between human beings and their environment in order to augment human intelligence, awareness, sensory experience, and influence social interactions. The aim is to address provocative research questions through design and critical making, fueled by the latest advances in the world of neuroscience, cognitive philosophy, computational design, affect, artificial intelligence, and feminism. From wearables to architecture, these projects demonstrate an application of techniques, such as EEG brain imaging, facial and gaze tracking, robotic fabrication as well as novel actuator systems, such as smart materials and pneumatics systems.

Biography

Behnaz Farahi is an award-winning designer and critical maker working at the intersection of fashion, architecture, and interactive design. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab. Trained as an architect, Farahi's work focuses on fostering empathetic relationships between the human body and its surrounding environment. For this, she draws upon emerging technologies and morphological and behavioral principles inspired by natural systems. Her projects address critical issues such as feminism, emotion, bodily perception, and social interaction. She specializes in computational design, interactive technologies, additive manufacturing, and digital fabrication technologies.

Farahi is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum Digital Design Award, Innovation by Design Fast Company Award, and the World Technology Award. She has coedited Interactive Design: Towards a Responsive Environment (Birkhäuser Verlag, 2023) and 3D Printed Body Architecture (Wiley, 2017).

Her work has been included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It has also been exhibited internationally at Ars Electronica, Linz and Context Art Miami, SIGGRAPH, La Piscine Museum in France, and A+D Architecture and Design Museum in LA. It has also been featured in several magazines and online websites, including WIRED, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Frame Magazine, and many more.

Farahi has served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at California State University, Long Beach (2020–24). She has also worked with leading firms such as Adidas, Autodesk, Fuksas Studio, and 3DSystems / will-i-am.