Rethinking the Mundane

Hosted by Jo Barnard

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Apr 2024

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About the show

Rethinking the Mundane is a podcast where a creative technologist and an industrial designer sit down and chat about the mundane objects, services and phenomena in our lives. Discussing how they came to be and what they say about society, Jo and Lex aim to reframe, rethink and reimagine that which we typically overlook. From microwaves to pop music, you’ll get insights on how two curious designers see the world and, just maybe, have your own view shifted along the way.

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16 recent

April 23, 2024Episode 1625 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep. 16 the Toilet

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we chat about arguably one of the most important things in our home that we definitely take for granted; the toilet. What actually happens to our waste after we flush? Why are current toilets inefficient and how might they need to evolve in the future when water becomes more scarce? Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

April 17, 2024Episode 1521 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep. 15 CCTV

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss something that we often forget is there, but has the potential to really impact and even control our lives; CCTV. From biased facial recognition to growing concerns around identity and anonimity, we discuss the future of surveillance. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

March 18, 2024Episode 227 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.14 Video Calls

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss something that we might not have made it through 2020 without - the video call. From it's difficult start (no-one wanted to be seen whilst they were on a phone call!) to it's influence on our work, travel and relationships, we discuss how AR/VR might take this even further. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

March 8, 2024Episode 123 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep. 13 The Chair

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss an object that most of us use for multiple hours a day, the Chair. An interesting object for cultural, political and societal reasons, the chair has been much designed and debated by creatives over the years. So let's see what we can bring to the conversation. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 24, 2024Episode 1226 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.12 The Internet

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss a subject that has shifted the very foundations of society in only a few short decades. The internet is arguably anything but mundane, but certainly taken for granted. We discuss how we got here, whether we really understand how it really works and what Web 3.0 might bring. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 24, 2024Episode 1120 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.11 The Notebook

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss the handy little notebook. From your earliest attempt at writing to jotting to-do lists and ideas, the notebook has historically been an essential productivity tool. But as AI enters the space, listening, distilling and summarising our lives for us, has this simple product reached it's end? Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 21, 2024Episode 1025 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.10 Lightbulbs

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss the lightbulb. Something we take for granted, the humble lightbulb has influenced everything from productivity to creativity. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 20, 2024Episode 724 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.09 The CV

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. This week's episode is all about the CV. Is it out of date, does it really communicate who we are, is AI going to bring about new and better ways of giving potential employers a snapshot of how we work? Jo and Lex discuss. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 20, 2024Episode 810 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.08 For innovations sake (BONUS)

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. This week's episode is a BONUS episode. We left the camera rolling after our previous chat about bins and captured some gold Jo and Lex on the importance of thinking outside the box, but what can happen when innovation is done purely for innovations sake. Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!

February 20, 2024Episode 721 min

Rethinking the Mundane - Ep.07 Bins

Join us for an exciting journey into the world of everyday design. In 'Rethinking the Mundane,' we bring you a captivating podcast featuring the visionary industrial designer Jo Barnard and innovative creative technologist Fefagha. In this week's episode we discuss the object in your home that you'd probably rather forget about, the rubbish bin; a physical representation of an infrastructure that has revolutionised how we consume everything we throw away. What would happen if it wasn't there? Is there a smarter solution that could nudge better consumer behaviour or enable us to find more value in our waste? Suggest new topics for Jo and Lex to discuss by emailing mundane@morrama.com, and subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of inspiration. Don't miss out on this mind-bending journey into the extraordinary world of the ordinary!