International Lecture Series
Tuesday, November 6, 6:30pm in Room 172, Wurster Hall

Lecture Title: “Emotive Material Interfaces from Fashion to Architecture”

Abstract
How can material in the environment foster new empathetic interactions with users? What if matter could detect people’s physical movement and emotional states, and respond accordingly? Illustrated with a series of experiments, prototypes, and interventions inspired by natural systems, this presentation will address emotive material interfaces that respond to the behavior of the human body and its emotions through the implementation of emerging technologies.

Short Bio
Behnaz Farahi is a designer and creative technologist based in Los Angeles working at the intersection of fashion, architecture and interaction design. Trained as an architect and specializing in 3D printing and physical computing, her ultimate goal is to enhance the relationship between human beings and their environment by following morphological and behavioral principles inspired by natural systems. Behnaz is a recipient of a number of prestigious awards including the 2016 World Technology Design Award and the 2016 Innovation By Design Fast Company Design Award. Her work has been featured on various television channels, including the BBC and CNN, and in leading journals and newspapers, such as Wired and The Guardian. She is currently an Annenberg Fellow and is completing her PhD in Interdisciplinary Media Arts and Practice at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

For more information, please visit: www.behnazfarahi.com

This event is open to the public.

The “Design Innovation from Nature” lecture series is a collaboration between the Department of Architecture, Integrative Biology, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. It is sponsored by the Department of Architecture and the IIS – Institute of International Studies Interdisciplinary Faculty Program at the University of California, Berkeley.