Karl Baumann, PhD

Filmmaker, designer and researcher. His work focuses on bringing participatory design methods to world building / speculative design in order to democratize the process of envisioning and building the future. Karl’s work has been exhibited broadly, most notably at the Guggenheim Museum, the Getty Center, the UN World Urban Forum, and the CHI 2018 Showcase - where he won “Best Design Study”. Karl holds a PhD in Media Arts + Practice from the University of Southern California (USC) and a MFA in Digital Arts and New Media from UC Santa Cruz.

PROBLEMS

“We need a much more warm physical presence in tech interface, so that it’s not a disembodied screen. The idea of this big, soft physical presence that could hug you while it's giving you medicine, like Beymax in ‘Big Hero 6.’ It's really interesting to think about what are those physical elements that can blend warmth and human touch and feeling. So, if the machine is cold, there's still this added human element.”
“I’m really excited about spatial computing and augmented reality, particularly now when we’re glued to the two dimensional computer and mobile plane all day. AR is an opportunity to explore the spatial richness of our world.”
“Working on neurological and disorders of the brain, like Alzheimer’s, is essential, since so much of who we are is tied up in our minds.”
““You still have to translate this future to people's present, and that then enables them to adopt it because they can see the use value. They can see themselves in it. And then you bring them along to the future with you.”