Keynote Speakers Announced | The Future is Human Made 

We are delighted to announce that bookings are now open for The Future is Human Made: Hands, Work, Power – the first edition of a new annual symposium exploring how craft skills can shape the future of work, developed in collaboration with journalist and editor Debika Ray. 

Taking place at Central Saint Martins, King’s Cross, London on Wednesday 30 September from 4-7.15pm, the inaugural event brings together visionary thinkers and expert makers to explore the role of human skills in solving contemporary challenges and shaping the future.

Tickets are £45, or subscribe to our newsletter here to receive a 10% discount code.  

Keynote Speakers

We’re delighted to announce the keynote speakers for the second session of The Future is Human Made, exploring what it means to bring the values of craft to the world at scale. 

Jay Osgerby OBE RDI is a London-based industrial designer and co-founder of Barber Osgerby, whose work spans furniture, industrial design and public commissions. In 2026, following 30 years of shared practice, Jay established an independent studio exploring industrial design, furniture, limited editions, creative consultancy and writing. 

Alison Brooks OBE is Founder and Creative Director of Alison Brooks Architects and one of the UK’s most highly awarded architects. Her work brings together place, memory, culture and nature through a distinctive sculptural approach to architecture. 

Together, Jay and Alison will consider how those who design and commission our material environments can ensure makers, materials and craft skills remain at the heart of how we shape our future. 

The conversation will be chaired by Dr Neal Shasore Hon FRIBA, Founder of the School of Building and a historian of the built environment, heritage advocate and champion of equity and diversity in design and craft.

Expert Makers

Four extraordinary makers come together as part of The Future is Human Made: Hands, Work, Power, exploring the relationship between craftsmanship, materials, sustainability and making.

Eddy Bennett – A QEST Scholar and reverse-glass artist, Eddy combines Victorian sign-writing and gilding techniques with a contemporary aesthetic, bringing historic craft skills into a new context.

Cassie Quinn – Founder of CQ Studio, pioneering regenerative designer and CSM alumni, Cassie combines traditional textile craft with biomaterial research to explore new approaches to fashion, textiles and production.

Sophie Sellu – Founder of Grain & Knot, Sophie creates sculptural and functional wooden objects from reclaimed and sustainably sourced timber. Her practice celebrates traditional hand tools, material knowledge and the enduring value of making by hand.

Annemarie O’Sullivan – A QEST Scholar and acclaimed Basketmaker, Annemarie draws on ancient weaving traditions, folklore and the landscape. Working with willow grown and harvested by hand, her practice connects traditional knowledge with contemporary making.

Together, they will explore how traditional skills, new ideas and human creativity can contribute to a more sustainable future.

About The Future is Human-Made Seminar Series 

While advances in technology continue to transform the way we live and work, The Future is Human Made places humankind at the centre of the conversation, exploring how craft knowledge, creativity and making can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future. The title is both an assertion and a call to action. 

Automation has long promised to relieve us of repetitive labour, creating more time for creativity and purposeful work. Yet as technologies become increasingly capable of performing tasks once considered uniquely human, new questions emerge about the value of making, the importance of skilled work and how we define progress. The symposium invites audiences to reflect on these questions through the perspectives of practitioners and provocateurs working across craft, design and technology. 

Bringing together voices from a range of disciplines, The Future is Human Made marks the beginning of a new annual programme for QEST, creating a space for discourse around the contribution of craft to contemporary society and the economy. It reflects QEST’s ongoing commitment to championing excellence in craft and supporting the skills that shape the future.