Bridgette Engeler
Senior Lecturer
Swinburne University of Technology
Bridgette is a professional futurist and pracademic who’s curious about post-growth innovation and designing in crisis.
She teaches strategic foresight, innovation and design at Swinburne University where her work considers the (un)intended consequences of change.
Bridgette has worked on projects intersecting people, technology and systems including collaborating with Changeist and IWDA to develop a feminist futuring framework, public participatory futures installations for Melbourne Knowledge Week and Hong Kong Business of Design Week, VR and AR wearables for people with early-onset dementia, and exploring ways to use technology and new materials to support sexual and reproductive health.
Bridgette’s research focus is how a lack of prospective thinking in design contributes to an ongoing cycle connected to consumer culture and material consumption that is broadly destructive and contributing to collapse of life-critical global systems.
Bridgette asks lots of questions, doesn’t play golf, and enjoys more than the odd glass of wine.
-
Linkedin Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgette-engeler
Program sessions
Debate: Design needs a saviour
Does design need a white knight or are we prematurely worrying? Are we actually meeting the demands of our evolving industry?
In our unconventional debate, moderated by Trudi Boatwright — seasoned experiential designer and advocate for creativity through play — we delve into the polarising topic: "Design need saving vs Design is fine" Sue Izmir, a strategist passionate about sustainable and socially innovative design, and Brad Alphonso, a proponent of human-centered design methodologies, will bring their diverse experiences to the table.
Together, they'll explore the current landscape of design, questioning its efficacy, ethics, and impact.
Through this discourse, we aim to uncover if the design community needs to re-evaluate its direction and methods or if the existing paradigms continue to serve our evolving world adequately.