Post Digital Objects Exhibition

Background- This exhibition is informed by practice-led research exploring the future of digital data, memory and healthfulness building on ‘Data Heirlooms’ a research collaboration between Emma Luke, Chuan Khoo, Kate Geck & Dr Judith Glover. The works are an exploration of new territories for post-digital design practice & IoT. Drawing from the designer’s collective backgrounds in design, jewellery, HCI, ceramics and textiles, the works are realised through microelectronics, generative design, 3D printing, digital textiles & AR. By foregrounding personalisation, & longevity these projects explore the potential for objects at the intersection of the digital, material, & human to become part of meaningful human narratives. Contribution - This event exhibited a range of design projects that interrogate data, health, wellbeing, & surveillance & used the site to bring together designers & researchers to open fresh dialogues around the possibilities for holistic approaches to digital health & wellbeing beyond commercial imperatives. The twelve designers involved speculated on issues of self & sentience & the future of personal IoT objects in a post-pandemic/post-digital world to create meaningful digital objects that recognise & respond to pressing issues of sustainability, ethics, surveillance & obsolescence. Significance -This exhibition was peer-reviewed by the curators of 2022 Melbourne Design Week & selected from over 300 proposals. Curated by Emma Luke, Kate Geck & Judith Glover & held in the RMIT Design Archives, the exhibition showcased the work of RMIT staff & alumni including The James Dyson award & Victorian Premier’s Design Award winner (for Student Design, Circularity & Sustainability) The Luna Modular AFO designed by Aaron Nguyen. Mengke Lian’s work Syne a Worksafe research project which has led to a PhD scholarship, & other works Pixel locket & Crypto Mori which were part of Emma Luke’s PhD which scored in the top 5% of the industrial design discipline.