Building Rarify: Born-Digital Design Practice in the Era of the Algorithm

Design Tech Public Lecture Series

Abstract

For designers passionate about creating novel work in the constructed and physical world, it is challenging to envision a design practice that is also fundamentally integrated with the dynamic algorithms now powering our lives. In the future, how will designers trained in architecture make positive contributions to a world in which the physical and computational are blended and interdependent?

In this lecture, the team behind Rarify will share their journey from Design Computation research at cutting-edge environments like the Sabin Lab and MIT's Self-Assembly Lab to operating one of the largest collections of rare furniture design in the world. Drawing on their deep background in technological innovation, but also design history, Rarify has pioneered a unique approach to design practice, which has garnered an organic social media following of over 200k people to date, established international collaborations with over 70 of today's most influential design businesses such as Herman Miller and Vitra, and has been covered by Dwell Magazine, Robb Report, and Forbes.

Rarify's Co-Founders will present insights into their active practice, including the complexities of integrating academic design curation, archival research, educational media, data science, software development, commerce in the design industry, business operations, and beyond. Attendees will gain insights into how Rarify's interdisciplinary background has shaped their vision of the future of design as a multifaceted practice in which computational innovations and digital media are intertwined with history and the physical world.

This event will be valuable to students and professionals interested in design, business, technology, product and industrial design, and the evolving landscape of digital media.

Biographies

David Rosenwasser

David Rosenwasser (Co-CEO at Rarify) is a researcher, furniture expert, and 15-year business owner. As a teenager, he founded D ROSE MOD, a vintage business focused on collecting and restoring iconic 20th-century design. David was Senior Research Personnel in the Sabin Design Lab at Cornell University. He holds a B.Arch. from Cornell, an M.Des. in Technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), and is a Hunter R. Rawlings III Presidential Research Scholar. David is deeply passionate about design, technology, and authenticity.

Jeremy Bilotti

Jeremy Bilotti (Co-CEO at Rarify) is a designer, computer scientist, and research scientist. Originally trained as an architect, he has since established a body of work developing new computational technologies for the design industry. Jeremy holds two Masters of Science degrees from MIT in Design Computation and Computer Science, as well as a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. Jeremy has worked with numerous design and technology firms, including the Sabin Design Lab, Microsoft Research, and the MIT Self-Assembly Lab. He has held faculty appointments at MIT and Cornell in product design and architecture, respectively.