Fernando Mastrangelo, Lina Ghotmeh, Ashiesh Shah and Sanna Åkerlund Gebeyehu speak to Marcus Fairs about the power of design in this talk filmed by Dezeen for Aritco in Dubai.

The speakers, who span the fields of architecture, interior design, product design, sculpture, creative direction and design consultancy, were gathered by lift manufacturer Aritco to discuss the power that design holds in their own work, and how the design community can act as a better agent of change.

Mastrangelo is a sculptor and designer based in Brooklyn, New York, whose Capital Collection mirrors were selected by Dezeen as a highlight of Dubai design week. Ghotmeh, whose architecture studio is based in Paris, is the architect behind Estonia's wedge-shaped national museum. Shah is an architect, designer and interior designer based in Mumbai. Sanna Åkerlund Gebeyehu is a creative director and design consultant who has worked with brands including Spotify, Aritco and the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair.

Topics discussed by the panel included how design can be used as a method of storytelling, as well as how using handmade crafts in design can connect people with their history and the environment, and the responsibility of designers to work sustainably.

The talk was held at the Downtown Design fair in Dubai, which took place in Dubai Design District between 12 and 15 November 2019.

Aritco, for which Gebeyehu acts as a design curator, is a Swedish lift manufacturer. The brand has worked with Swedish product designer Alexander Lervik to create the Aritco HomeLift, a design-led domestic lift that can be controlled with a smartphone.

Dezeen previously hosted a talk with Aritco during Stockholm Design Week, in which Lervik, designer Fredrik Färg, and interior architect Marco Checchi discussed the future of craft.