Change is Constant. Things Remain the Same.

These seemingly opposing truths coexist, mirroring the rhythms of the natural world. Seasons shift and environments adapt, yet underlying patterns endure. This tension between change and continuity underpins both nature and human experience.

Industrial designer Robert Brunner explores the enduring relationship between people and objects, and how made things—products—help define who we are. From early tools drawn directly from nature to today’s technologies, designing and making objects reflects a fundamental human impulse: to understand our environment, our place within it, and to improve our experience of both. Objects are never purely functional. They meet emotional and practical needs, shape identity, and express belonging—to one another and to the world around us.

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in design and product development, this relationship enters a critical moment. Technology evolves at unprecedented speed, yet the human desire to connect remains unchanged.

Drawing on decades of experience, Robert examines what is constant in human nature and why it matters now. The challenge ahead is not to make more things, but to create objects that are intuitive, grounded, and meaningfully connected to our lives and the wider world.