Why do we bother about beauty? Where does creativity come from? And what can aesthetics tell us about the path to Utopia?

These are some of the questions posed by CMCI’s Dr Richard Howells in a newly released TEDx talk.

In his 16-minute, illustrated presentation in the famous TED format, Howells proceeds from Navajo design to Utopian critical theory to show what aesthetics can teach us about the Utopian drive to make the world a better place. Utopia is a process which is wholly in our hands, he argues. It is entirely up to us.

Dr Howells, our Reader in Culture, Media and Creative Industries, was speaking as part of “Utopia: Breaking the Rules”, a TEDx event organised by the Courtauld Institute of Art in conjunction with King’s College London and Somerset House. The event was recorded in front of a sell-out, live audience with the videos now available via TED.