Building on the momentum of its Beautiful Thinking campaign, which focuses on individuals (Beautiful Thinkers), who have driven real innovation in their industries and beyond; Negative to Positive goes one step further. The campaign showcases how Interface’s journey to-date has netted real results, and how beautiful thinking is dramatically changing the built environment.
Interface will take visitors on a journey through a series of events held at three locations along the Clerkenwell trail: Project at Garden of St James, Detail at St John’s Square and the Interface Showroom on Northburgh Street. These unique spaces will demonstrate, with real life examples, how the thinking behind turning a negative into something that makes a positive impact is the most beautiful thinking of all – such as powering a factory on dead fish heads and chocolate waste.
The festival will also see the premiere of Interface’s latest global collection, World Woven by David Oakey of David Oakey Designs. World Woven draws on the uncomplicated, imperfect yet beautiful nature of traditional hand-crafted materials. Visitors can discover the collection at the Interface Showroom and David Oakey will be presenting the inspiration behind the designs on the 24th and 25th of May.
The programme
Join Interface for a series of talks by its influential beautiful thinkers on the 24th and 25th:
Day One – 24th May, 7-9pm:
The evening session will consist of two concurrent talks held at the Interface Showroom, presentations followed by a panel discussion, hosted by architectural, interior and biophilic design expert, Oliver Heath, and a seminar on Interface’s new global collection delivered by David Oakey.
Waste is Beautiful
Hear presentations from the experts in their field followed by a panel discussion that will look at how innovative thinking about waste materials can create a positive environmental and social impact.
Oliver Heath will be joined by:
Paul Rose, Expedition Leader for the National Geographic Pristine Seas Expedition, and TV and Radio presenter. As one of the world’s most experienced divers, field science and polar experts, Paul has spent his career helping scientists unlock and communicate global mysteries in the most remote and challenging regions of the planet.
Dr Nick Hill from Zoological Society London (ZSL). ZSL is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity. In 2012, ZSL and Interface collaborated to create Net-Works™, an inclusive business partnership designed to tackle the growing environmental problem of discarded fishing nets in some of the world’s poorest coastal communities.
Miriam Turner, Assistant Vice President Co-innovation at Interface. Miriam leads Interface’s co-innovation partnerships across the world, including the Net-Works programme.
David Stover, CEO and Co-Founder from Bureo Inc. David and his colleagues at Bureo founded Net Positiva, a fishing net collection and recycling programme aimed at combating the detrimental impacts of discarded fishing nets in 2013. The team recycle the collected nets into the production of a range of products, including skateboards and sunglasses.
Weaving Global Product Trends with Waste
David Oakey will deliver the world’s first insight into Interface’s latest global collection, exploring the inspirations behind the designs.
Day Two – 25th May, 7-9pm:
The evening session will consist of two concurrent talks held at the Interface Showroom, presentations followed by a panel discussion led by Oliver Heath, and a seminar on Interface’s new global collection delivered by David Oakey.
The Future of Business: Going Beyond Sustainability: Positive Impact
Hear from three of the world’s leading organisations spearheading sustainable ways of working, who will discuss what lies beyond sustainability.
Oliver Heath will be joined by:
Ryan Gellert, General Manager EMEA at Patagonia. With a distinguished record of environmental philanthropy, outdoor clothing company, Patagonia is renowned worldwide for its approach to corporate social responsibility and global environmental issues.
Erin Meezan, Vice President, Sustainability at Interface. Erin leads a global team that drives sustainability at all levels and is a frequent lecturer on sustainable business to senior management teams, universities and the growing green consumer sector.
Munish Datta, Head of Plan A & Facilities management at Marks and Spencer. Munish heads the creation of the strategy and delivery of Plan A (M&S’s sustainability programme) for M&S properties across the world, and heads up the team that delivers facilities management for the M&S Global HQ in London.
Weaving Global Product Trends with Waste
David Oakey will deliver the world’s first insight into Interface’s latest global collection, exploring the inspirations behind the designs.
To find out more about Interface’s Beautiful Thinking programme, visit: http://www.interface.com//EU/en-GB/about/index/beautifulthinking-en_GB