Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun is a force of nature. Whether working with NASA, establishing a University of the Underground or becoming a Space Viking, this experience designer is a critical explorer as well as a fearless and passionate provocateur. She spoke to us ahead of her appearance at The Future festival this weekend.
I’m scrambling taking down notes as the words tumble forth from Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun on a Skype call from Amsterdam. She’s a spin cycle of ideas each one leap-frogging the next for attention. Her life and practice is one of making the impossible possible, a reappraisal of knowledge and systems, a blueprint for bravery with a smidge of boldness.
“I find creativity fascinating. it’s like a muscle, the more you engage with complex procedures, the more you learn, the more you come up with solutions,” explains Nelly.
“That’s the difference between ideas and production, everyone is equipped to come up with thoughts, when it comes to production this is perhaps where my strength lies. I have been described as a Willy Wonka in the way I conceive experiential events and public access spaces.”
Hailing from an immigrant family, Nelly was born in France to an Algeria born French and Jewish father and an Armenian mother, she appreciates she has a somewhat “unorthodox” background. Still there are few from such background who have went on to train in science and fine arts before working in films and then embracing critical design. The urge to learn and explore has propelled Dr Ben Hayoun in all facets of her life.
“I find creativity fascinating. it’s like a muscle, the more you engage with complex procedures, the more you learn, the more you come up with solutions.”
“My life is made of challenges as a creator, practitioner and academic. I am excited by the challenge. My studio is in London. I was living a happy life in London but then I decided to expand here (to Amsterdam) and start the university.”
The university which she speaks of is the University of the Underground – a tuition free postgraduate programme for “social dreamers” which aims to promote “deviance in creativity, the non-established and the unconventional.” Hosted by the Sandberg Instituut and located under two night clubs in London in the Village Underground and in Amsterdam in De Marktkantine, it provides an accredited Master of the Arts (MA Design of Experiences).
“It is for humans who dream with open eyes,” enthuses Nelly. “We are interested in how you can modify the mindset and power structures of institutions through experiences and events and define your own job (and job description) as a part of the process The university of the underground is both an educative structure (for students in MA Design of Experiences ) and a cultural institution open to all. There’s a public talks series (the dreamers of the day starting in January 2018) while students are having classes in linguistics, film, design, music and political philosophy. Students are also releasing their own podcast.
“Our plan is to build multidisciplinary educative structure that are tuition free for the next 100 years. As a charity we are very much depending on donations and so we are looking at developing a new funding model that we call ‘The 100 years of education’ label. It means that whoever donate to us also feed long term public responsibilities, and long term thinking and vision. In this context we are particularly interested in developing discussions and donations from the tech industry who until now is better known for its fast profit making marketing models and now being asked to reimagine how to support and maintain long term communities and cultural activities. If we succeed we hope to create a new economy of support, a post capitalist and transnational one. A big goal and programme, but luckily I’m not the only one dreaming, our advisory board brings together incredible experts who have extensive experience in the field such as Wetransfer president Damian Bradfield, academic Professor Arjun Appadurai, author Dave Eggers And many more.”
To this extent, WeTransfer (Rob Alderson from WeTransfer will also be talking at The Future) are one of the founding partners supporting this long term thinking and forward thinking label and model.
photo: Chris Foster
When I query about the comparison between the University of the underground and Open Source technology, Nelly quickly retorts: “We (the University) are not only living in digital realm, we have classes in digital storytelling and digital technology and speculative design but we also very physical as we are based in the underground of the urban space. This is mainly inspired by the philosophical notion of the cave by platon where knowledge is a drive to discovery and human existence. We train out our students to think of themselves as the rats of the city born to grow as future presidents.”
Needless to say, Nelly’s trail-blazing thoughts and activations are not going unnoticed. She was one of the chosen 50 for Creative Review’s Creative Leaders annual selection and Deezen selected her as one of the 50 women from the architecture and design industry who inspire them for International Women’s Day.
Oh and there’s Disaster Playground, her SXSW documentary on hazardous Near Earth Objects now screening on Netflix and her involvement with the International Space Orchestra which she created and assembled and has performed with the likes of Beck and Sigur Rós.
“We believe that nothing is impossible on earth and beyond.” is the maxim of her studio. You better believe it.
Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun will be speaking on The Future stage at 6pm on Saturday. For tickets and further details click here.
Main photo: Neil Berrett
