The Crit #41: Jon Ardern
The Crit, a fortnightly podcast from Disegno, asks designers cast a critical eye over their own careers, passing judgment on what previous projects ran seamlessly and what still fills them with regret.
For those new to the show, each episode sees Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invite a guest to Kef Music Gallery to look back on their past projects. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Our forty-first guest on The Crit is Jon Ardern, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #41: Jon Ardern
Jon Ardern is the co-founder and co-director of Superflux, a design and experiential futures company that explores possible and probable futures to cast light on the decisions facing humanity today.
Founded in 2009 with Ardern’s partner Anab Jain, Superflux was one of the first studios to apply the practice of speculative design to business, producing work for clients such as Google AI, Cabinet Office UK, Samsung and Ikea. In 2022, Ardern and Jain receiveed the prestigious Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) Award, becoming the first practitioners to be recognised in the field of speculative design.
From an installation of an apartment radically adapted for living with the consequences of climate change, to a film imagining the unintended consequences of using smart devices for elderly healthcare, Superflux’s work uses different mediums to encourage visceral engagement with multiple possibilities.
In his crit, Ardern talks about collaborating with businesses on speculative design projects, the difficulties of engaging gallery visitors, and the emphasis on materiality, emotion, and sensory feedback in the studio’s work.
Show Notes: Jon Ardern
Best design: Mitigation of Shock
Worst design: Dynamic Genetics vs. Man
Most successful design: Uninvited Guests
Most impactful feedback: A person who said their exhibition had prepared them for living through the pandemic and inspired them to grow vegetables on their balcony
Dream design: A living experiment
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery London.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.