Free Display Location: Level 2
Future Observatory: A Matter of Land
A free display of design research from field, forest and earth. Discover projects exploring regenerative design, practices of care, collaboration and material innovation. From construction to computing, how designers are designing directly with and for the land.
What to expect
A Matter of Land explores how we work with, care for and learn from our natural landscapes. Nearly half of all raw materials extracted from the land each year go into making our buildings, clothes and infrastructure. As natural resources come under growing strain, how do we design with the land - from the soil to the species it supports - has never mattered more. Researchers are developing lasting ways to protect our natural landscapes while continuing to gather essential resources.
From textiles brewed in laboratories to furniture crafted by communities and computers powered by compost, the seven showcased projects present alternative ways of growing, making and building with the land. Spanning fields, forests and the earth beneath our feet, the display reveals new possibilities for the UK’s green transition across fashion, forestry and the built environment. Featuring projects by Spiber, ISSEY MIYAKE, Eliza Collin, Jacob Marks, the University of Brighton and Making It Out, Critical Climate Computing, and Impact Build.
A Matter of Land is curated by Future Observatory, the Design Museum’s national research programme for the green transition. Future Observatory is coordinated by the Design Museum in partnership with the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Sugarcane, Spiber
Crossing the Middle Meadow, Herbarium Still, Eliza Collin
Compost Data Centre, Critical Climate Computing, 2026
S.E.E Sussex Chair, The University of Brighton and Making it Out
Lab grown hat, scarf and sweater, Volleback
Chilean Pavillion, Mále Uribe Forés
Facade of building made with ImpactBuild wall modules, Courtesy of Impact Build and FanganArchitekten
RF Vessel-I, Jacob Marks
Plan your visit
Visit information
The display will be open to visitors from 19 November 2026 to October 2027, in line with the museum's opening hours.
No tickets are required to see our free displays.
Free to visit. No pre-booking is required.
This display is wheelchair-accessible, with step-free access throughout the museum.
If you need a Large Print Guide, please ask a member of staff when you visit the display.
Supported by the AHRC
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, funds internationally outstanding independent researchers across the whole range of the arts and humanities: history, archaeology, digital content, philosophy, languages and literature, design, heritage, area studies, the creative and performing arts, and more, contributing to the UK's economic success and the culture and welfare of societies across the globe.
Explore more
Future Observatory Journal
The biannual online journal platforms new research, new forms of practice and new narratives from designers working towards a liveable future. Exploring design and ecology, the publication features in-depth and interactive essays, case studies, interviews, critical analysis and striking photography from designers and researchers around the world.
Background image: SPIN design.