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The show brings together art, science and radical thinking to ask how design can help our planet thrive by shifting its focus beyond human needs. It was created in collaboration with Future Observatory, our national research programme for the green transition.

 In this instalment of Book Club, four daring publications explore the present state of ecology. Their authors study the interconnection between humans, wildlife, the natural world, and artificial waste amid the climate crisis. They urge us to make a paradigm shift that steps away from an anthropocentric worldview, dominant in Western culture and ventures towards an animistic outlook, intrinsic to Indigenous peoples.

Unpack the complexities of the human condition with Daisy Hildyard, get a grasp of our escalating litter epidemic with Justin McGuirk, sail through threatened waterways with Robert Macfarlane and learn to design with the living world in mind, once again with Justin McGuirk. As always, you will find a bundle deal here with 10% off and free delivery. Why not also check out our edit of More than Human gifting.

by Daisy Hildyard published by Fitzcarraldo Editions (2017)

Daisy Hildyard is a multi-award-winning novelist, essayist and reviewer. Her incisive prose peels back the layers of the human condition, identifying our imprint on history through the lens of biology, psychology and technology. In 2013, Hildyard published her debut novel, Hunters in the Snow. This title was reviewed positively by prominent newspapers, including The Independent. She was later selected as a 5 under 35 2013 honouree by the National Book Foundation and received the 2014 Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors. In 2017, she followed up these triumphs with her essay, The Second Body. Hildyard traces our impact on the environment on an individual and collective scale. She opens her examination by evaluating how we engage with nature, by recounting conversations with a butcher, a criminologist, a biologist and a mycologist. Hildyard ties this together by indicating how nature reacts back to us, recalling a house flood she and her family faced. This tender yet authoritative text asks readers to reflect on their solo actions and recognise the shared ramifications, to sow the seeds for a culture of awareness, accountability and empathy.

Edited by Justin McGuirk, published by the Design Museum (2025) 

In 2021, the Design Museum founded Future Observatory, our national research programme for the green transition, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council. For this programme, we unite the disciplines of research, design, and ecology to envision alternative futures. We have represented this through a sequence of progressive events, publications and presentations, including Waste Age: What can design do? (2021 - 2022), How to Build a Low-Carbon Home (2023 - 2024) and Tomorrow’s Wardrobe (2024 - 2025). Most recently, we opened the exhibit More than Human (2025). This display prompts us to let go of our human-centred thoughts, feelings and actions, in exchange for those that uplift all living beings, questioning how creativity can aid this reorientation. Our exhibition catalogue extends the reach of this discourse, which we represent in three parts: Being Landscape, Making with the World and Shifting Perspective. These sections are voiced by syncretic visionaries leading the movement, including anthropologist James Peplow Powell, architect Anna Tsing and interdisciplinary researcher Michelle Westerlaken, who share their dynamic desires for the times ahead. Our programme director, Justin McGuirk, has signed several exclusive copies.

- Ursula K. Le Guin

by Robert Macfarlane, published by Penguin Books (2025)

Robert Macfarlane is a prolific writer, adventurer and activist. Over the last twenty years, he has worked tirelessly to bridge the divide between how we talk about, engage with and protect nature. Macfarlane first transmitted this mission statement in his memoir, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (2003). He has made a lasting, illustrious career, releasing a string of exalted titles, including The Wild Places (2007), The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot (2012), and Underland: A Deep Time Journey (2019). Earlier this year, Macfarlane published the text Is a River Alive? His search for answers leads him to test the endangered waters of three countries: Los Cedros in Ecuador, Adyar River in India and Mutehekau Shipu in Canada, which are being ravaged by logging, pollution and damming. These global quests are nestled between homeward outings to Nine Wells in England. These escapades help him to reach his conclusion: yes, they are animate. Like a diving bell spider, Macfarlane spins out the tangled web of life. He shows us that all living beings are interconnected, water plays an integral role in their preservation and deserves to be recognised, appreciated and protected.

Edited by Justin McGuirk, published by the Design Museum (2021)  

From 2021 to 2022, the Design Museum presented the exhibition Waste Age: What can design do? This show scoured through our mounting litter problem. This matter has arisen from our linear economy model, which promotes the unsustainable practice of take, make, and dispose. We questioned how creative outcomes could break this sequence and piece it back together as a chain, offering circular solutions that would restore, regenerate, and rewild the ecosphere. For this appeal, we teamed up with esteemed and burgeoning designers, including Stella McCartney, Formafantasma and Fernando Laposse, who showcased ingenious responses to surplus. Our show catalogue sustains this call-to-action by targeting three areas of litter management: Peak Waste, Precious Waste and Post Waste. These sections assemble professionals from various vocations, including geographer Josh Lepawsky, philosopher Kate Soper and biodesigner Natsai Audrey Chieza. Their unmissable musings delve further into this layered issue. This body of work is significant in the legacy of our institution. We convey our commitment to climate consciousness, indicate how creativity can strengthen conservation and rally readers to reduce their carbon footprint.