Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

In December 2018 I gave a TEDx Talk about the taboo topic of the menstrual cycle and how it encapsulates nature’s framework for creativity and innovation. Following that, in 2020 I was invited to speak at the Women’s International Day Summit at the UN about how creative and biological innovative thinking can change the conversation about gender equality. I later developed it into a wider initiative called ‘What Would The Egg Do?’ which was both a methodology for creative problems solving taught world-wide using principles from Design Thinking and Biomimicry and an exhibition. The exhibition, launched in a VR format at Parsons School of Design, NYC in 2021 and showcased the work of 15 artists from around the world demonstrating the wisdom of the egg and shifting our common linear perspective to a circular one that honors our place as part of nature. By now this philosophy has seen light in many publications around the world and have recently become part of the curriculum in an Anthroposophic high-school in Israel that teaches all genders about the power of the menstrual cycle. In this Innovation Showcase, I go over my creative process crafting the Tedx Talk to developing a methodology, to a global immersive exhibition all changing the conversation around diversity and inclusion. I talk about what worked well and what was challenging and how to tackle controversial topics in a way people will want to take a stance.