Tobias Revell


Design Futures Lead at Arup Foresight. PhD in Design and the Construction of AI, Goldsmiths. 47.6% of Haunted Machines

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Tobias Revell

Home page of London-based designer. Design Futures Lead at Arup Foresight. PhD in Design and the Construction of AI, Goldsmiths. 47.6% of Haunted Machines. Founding Director, Strange Telemetry.




Haunted Machines – FutureEverything – 2015-02


Haunted Machines is an ongoing project started by myself and Natalie Kane which launched at and is suppported by Future Everything Festival.

The continued proliferation of connected devices and the narratives driving them forward has been running parallel to stories of surveillance, hacking and black boxes. While designers and technologists talk about 'magic' and 'enchantment' in regard to these devices, we forget that magic is a form of deception; a sleight of hand. Thinkers, writers, designers and artists are beginning to refer more and more to a new time of hauntings and the supernatural in respect of this new technological climate.

The speakers; Ingrid Burrington, Warren Ellis, Joanne McNeil, Eleanor Saitta, Chardine Taylor-Stone and Georgina Voss, will reflect on the narratives of magic and hauntings pervading our relationship with technology and begin to analyse why these narratives exist, what they mean and what they do.

The first day of Haunted Machines was divided into two sessions each culminating in a panel. The first hosted by myself and the second by Natalie Kane.

The videos from the event, more information, comissioned writing, a reading list and news on upcoming events can be found on hauntedmachines.com


Thoughts on Haunted Machines - FutureEverything blog
Haunted Machines - Northern Soul
Technology Isn't Magic - It's Haunted - Motherboard


© Tobias Revell 2025