Ultrawild - Author Talks

1. An Audacious Plan to Rewild Every City On Earth

How would we ACTUALLY rewild every city on earth? With compost cannons, 3D printer birds, sewer submarines, flying bikes and other outrageous sounding, but theoretically possible design ideas found in Steve Mushin’s award winning book, Ultrawild!
(Note: This is Steve Mushin’s most popular talk. It is recommended for schools, universities and organisations who are new to his work.)

This talk is a high energy STEM ideas-jam about the power of creative thinking and the potential we have to change our world for the better. Filled with laugh-out-loud design-ridiculousness, Steve Mushin aims to empower and excite a new generation of designers, scientists, engineers and wild thinkers. The session consists of a 30-40 minute talk, followed by a high-speed, drawing and design challenges to help participants think creatively about tackling environmental challenges. In this activity, Steve demonstrates his ideation processes by drawing live on a whiteboard, then challenges participants to rapidly develop and pitch their own ideas.

Topics Covered:

• STEM for Designing Future Cities
• Incredible Ecological Design Projects That Could Change The World
• Epic-Scale Ecological Engineering
• Drawing and Creative Thinking
• Using Technology to Rewild Cities For All Species
• How Rewilding Boosts Ecosystems
• How Rewilding Fights Climate Change

2. Real Future Technologies that could Save The Planet

How will flying cars help us transform cities? How will AI cameras help us restore ecosystems? How will bioreactors make us vegan meat, or algae help make plastics, or swarms of flying 3D printers print buildings? And why are these technologies WAY closer than most people think.

This talk high-energy talk focusses on new technologies, rather than rewilding. Steve discusses how rapidly developing technologies will help us radically redesign cities and reverse climate change and biodiversity loss. Filled with fascinating cutting edge technologies that Steve has explored while working on Ultrawild, this talk aims to inspire thinking about science and engineering, and show how technology can be a powerful tool for positive change. The session consists of a 20 minute talk, followed by a series of technology-focussed thinking challenges to help the audience connect with their inner engineers. It can be focussed on particular technologies (such as 3D printing, or food, or rewilding, or architecture or transportation) – or contain a mix of all of these things.

Topics Covered:

• STEM and Transforming the World
• Incredible Ecological Design Innovations that Could Transform The World
• Epic-Scale Ecological Engineering Projects
• Imagining Future Cities
• Technologies for Urban Rewilding

3. The World Changing Power of Drawing and Comics

How can drawing help us solve problems? How does drawing and telling stories help build our brain’s creative thinking? And why should EVERYONE draw pictures and tell stories about the future?

This talk is a high-energy discussion about the power of drawing and stretching our imaginations, and the opportunities we have to radically rethink our future. Filled with Steve’s stories about creating his book Ultrawild, how he uses drawing to push creativity, and live drawing, this talk aims to empower and excite a new generation of creatives. The session consists of a 20 minute talk, followed by a series of drawing-focussed challenges to help participants connect with their inner illustrators. It can be focussed on comic drawing, or 3D design drawing – or have a mix of both.

Topics Covered:

• The Power of Drawing
• How to Use Drawing and Storytelling to Build your Creative Thinking
• Character Development
• Comic Narrative Development
• Comic Scene Development
• Perspective Drawing For High Tech Future Cities
• 3D Drawing Of Ecological Inventions
• Future Cities Design

4. What On Earth is Rewilding? And How Does it Reverse Climate Change?

What exactly is rewilding? How are wolves, bison, lynx, beavers and elephants helping rebuild vast new ecosystems and reverse climate change? And HOW ON EARTH would we actually rewild every city on earth?

This talk is a high energy STEM ideas-jam about the ecosystem boosting power of rewilding, the opportunities we have to radically rethink cities as habitats for all species. Filled with incredible stories about animals, plants, ecosystems, and rewilding technologies, this talk aims to empower and excite a new generation of ecologists. The session consists of a 30-40 minute talk, followed by a rewilding-focussed creative thinking challenge to help participants imagine about urban rewilding. In this activity, Steve demonstrates ideation processes by drawing live on a whiteboard, then challenges the audience to rapidly develop and pitch their own rewilding ideas.

Topics Covered:

• What is Rewilding?
• How Rewilding Boosts Ecosystems
• How Rewilding helps Reverse Climate Change
• Incredible Ecological Design and Engineering Projects that are Helping Nature
• Using Drawing and Creative Thinking to Reimagine our World
• Rewilding Future Cities