Design Researchers in Residence: Solar Display

April Barrett is a researcher and strategist, who comes from a video game industry background in Canada. During her residency at the Design Museum, April will focus on the potentially damaging impact of data centres on the energy supplies available to local communities. She will also question the validity of Big Tech’s increasing entanglement with renewable energy futures.

Eliza Collin is a designer and researcher whose practice spans areas of ethnography, art, co-design and education. As a Design Researcher in Residence, Eliza will explore how the scents emitted by plants are changing in response to climate breakdown. This work is a continuation of a project developed in collaboration with agroecologist Dr Coline Jaworski. Eliza will examine the domino effect of this phenomenon on surrounding ecosystems, from pollinator health to food systems.

Jamie Irving is an architect and educator who teaches Design Studio and Tectonics at Kingston School of Art. His research will explore the insulative and solar heating potential of conservatories. The project is underpinned by the idea that reducing energy consumption within housing offers opportunities for reimagining the relationship between our built environment and the climate.

Freya Spencer-Wood is an interdisciplinary designer and researcher working at the intersection of set design, land politics and queer identity. Freya’s research at the Design Museum will explore Scotland’s lack of sun, wet climate and peatland restoration as an opportunity for impactful climate action and equitable land reform. The project recognises the inherent link between spatial and climate justice and will investigate bogs as queer spaces: in-between landscapes that are often misunderstood.