Embracing the “Extension of Nature”: get to know Benilde Open’s international panel of judges

Freddy Anzures is a Filipino-American designer whose work has helped shape how millions of people interact with technology every day. As part of Apple’s original iPhone design team, he helped define features such as swipe-to-unlock, iMessage effects, and Visual Voicemail. With decades of experience in human-centred interface design, he brings a valuable perspective on how innovation can remain intuitive, meaningful, and grounded in experience.

Jihoi Lee is a curator at Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA). Her work moves between architecture, care, and the body through multidisciplinary exhibitions that travel internationally—from Seoul to Venice. With landmark projects such as Looking After Each Other and Jung Youngsun: For All That Breathes On Earth, Lee brings a research-driven, global lens shaped by her work across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Representing architecture as both practice and research is Mireia Luzárraga, an architect, educator, and co-founder of TAKK, a Barcelona–New York–based studio. She is known for her feminist and ecological approach to design. Her work, which is exhibited at major biennials and institutions worldwide, explores how architecture can support more equitable ways of living.

Nathalie Huni, the managing director and head of design at Wells Fargo, comes from the world of large-scale design leadership. She leads end-to-end digital experiences across consumer, AI, small-business, and wealth-management platforms. With a background spanning industrial design, advertising, and digital products, Huni understands what it takes to create design that works in real life, bridging creativity, strategy, and impact at scale.

Rounding up the panel is Timothy Moore, curator of contemporary design and architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and long-time director of Melbourne Design Week. As a founder of Sibling Architecture and a senior lecturer at Monash University, Moore brings deep experience in public programming and design discourse. His expertise is especially grounded in work that experiments with material, space, and new ways of imagining the future.

Together, the panel of judges will help define the next chapter of Benilde Open Design + Art by identifying projects submitted during last year’s call for proposals that reflect the spirit of experimentation, sustainability, and creative ambition. Their combined expertise ensures that the selected finalists won’t just challenge conventions but also spark conversations about how design can extend, respond to, and evolve with nature.

The finalists chosen by this international panel will be announced in the coming months, marking the next exciting stage of Benilde Open Design + Art.

Meanwhile, feel free to visit the exhibition Poets of Physics at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design Manila, featuring the works of Aki Sasamoto, Bagus Pandega, David Medalla, Fischli and Weiss, and Ian Carlo Jaucian. This show is part of the Benilde Open Design + Art with its theme “Extension of Nature”. Drawing its title from Medalla’s quote, the exhibition explores how contemporary artists have continued this radical proposition of art machines that examine natural conditions while exploring their capacity for transcendence.

For more information on the Benilde Open Design + Art, visit their official website at open.benilde.edu.ph. You can follow their active social media platforms for the latest announcements: @benildeopen on Instagram and TikTok, and BenildeOpen on Facebook. Inquiries may also be sent directly via email to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph.

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