PANEL AND WORKSHOP AT NEOCON 2026 BY MOHAWK GROUP

We are looking forward to the upcoming panel and workshop “Future Forms: Techne for a Changing World” on June 8, 2026, in Chicago, USA, at NeoCon 2026, where Anastasija Lesjak (13&9 Design and ScienceDesignLab) will join and discuss a relevant question facing design today: “⁠How can technology expand, rather than replace, human creativity and craftsmanship?”⁠ together with Gemma Riberti (WGSN) and Jaime Derringer (TRAME Paris), hosted by Royce Epstein (Mohawk Group).

Framed through the lens of Techne, the integration of knowledge, technique, and creative making, the panel examines how tech-enabled craft fosters resilience, authenticity, and connection while bridging artisanal practices and generative design. The session considers how technology can extend – not replace – the hand of the maker, revealing new possibilities for emotional resonance and purposeful, collective design and is followed by a live Q&A.

Anastasija Lesjak will share insights on the balance between research-based design and craftsmanship. Her work ranges from jewelry to product, furniture and lighting design as well as spatial concepts, to create solutions that focus on health and well-being.