Elisa Giaccardi

Elisa is a Full Professor in Design at Politecnico di Milano. Over her 25-year career, she worked in the UK, the US, Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden, earning her the title of Ambassador of Italian Design in the World 2024 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Her research in post-industrial and post-humanist design paradigms has made substantial contributions to the fields of design and HCI. She initiated the DCODE Network (dcode-network.eu), which aims to create inclusive and sustainable pathways for society’s digital transformation. At PoliMI, she now leads the Design Intelligences Institute, a multidisciplinary and multispecies collective of diverse intelligences tackling planetary challenges.

Maurice Benayoun

Maurice Benayoun (AKA MoBen) is an artist, media theorist, and pioneering figure in New Media Art based in Paris, Hong Kong, and Nanjing. from VR to AI, and neuro-design, MoBen’s work explores media boundaries from a sociopolitical and philosophical perspective.

With Ars electronica Golden Nica, and 30 international accolades, Benayoun exhibited in major museums, biennials, and festivals in 33 different countries.

He has given over 400 lectures and was a Professor at Paris 1 University Pantheon Sorbonne, Paris 8 U, City University of Hong Kong. He is Head of the Art and Architecture Intelligence Lab, and Chair Professor at Nanjing University’s Schools of Art and Architecture. www.moben.art