In the beginning, God designed.
Not with blueprints or building codes, but with breath, beauty, and boundless compassion. Mountains were shaped, birds were feathered, whales were weighed in oceans of purpose. Every creature, from the lion to the ladybird, was part of this divine composition—made not for utility, but for joy.
Genesis tells us that God looked at all He had made and called it very good—not just the humans, but the whole interconnected tapestry of life. Trees, rivers, insects, elephants—all spoken into being by a Designer who delights in diversity and builds for relationship.
Yet somewhere along the way, we lost touch with that original vision. Our cities rose, our systems expanded, but too often they were built for humans alone. Roads cut through ancient migration paths. Buildings silenced birdsong. Farming practices inflicted suffering on the very creatures we were meant to care for.
But in a quiet corner of London, something different is stirring. At the Design Museum’s current exhibition, More than Human, visitors are invited to reimagine the world not as a human-only domain, but as a shared home for all living beings. This ground-breaking exhibition asks a bold, almost sacred question: What if we designed the world not just for us, but for all creation?
A Design Language That Includes the Voiceless
The More than Human exhibition showcases over 140 works that look beyond human needs to consider how animals, plants, and ecosystems might flourish if they, too, were part of the design brief. It invites viewers to see the world through other eyes—not metaphorically, but literally.
There’s a large tapestry that replicates the view of a wildflower meadow as seen by bees and butterflies. A series of seaweed sculptures (“Kelp Council”) explores interspecies collaboration through materials that support marine life. One structure—part pavilion, part habitat—has been designed to be shared equally by humans, birds, and insects. Another installation uses AI to interpret a river’s condition and translate it into human-readable signals, allowing the river to “speak.”
It is a quietly revolutionary idea: that design, when rooted in humility and imagination, can help repair what has been broken.
Even the Sandwiches Witness
The Design Museum has taken this ethos seriously. During the run of More than Human, all catering on-site has been fully vegetarian and vegan. Not as a gimmick or gesture, but as a genuine expression of values. “We wanted our food to reflect the heart of the exhibition,” the museum said in a statement. “This is about our relationship with the environment and other species, and a commitment to reduce our carbon impact.”
In a world where bacon-wrapped hors d’oeuvres are still a staple of gallery receptions, this decision stands out. It says: we are not only curating art for animals, we are practicing hospitality that honours them too.
For Christians, this is deeply resonant. Food is never just food. Throughout Scripture, meals are spiritual acts—from manna in the wilderness to Christ breaking bread with his disciples. Our dietary choices shape not just our bodies, but our witness. What we eat is part of the story we tell about who matters in God’s creation.
Peace with Creation: A Season and a Calling
This year’s Season of Creation (1 September to 4 October) invites Christians worldwide to reflect on our role in healing the Earth. The 2025 theme, Peace with Creation, calls us to examine how we live, build, and consume—and whether those actions bring harmony or harm.
The exhibition offers a perfect companion to this reflection. It doesn’t just condemn human impact on the environment; it dares to imagine an alternative. Rather than seeing design as a tool for domination, it reclaims it as a sacred act of care. That’s a deeply biblical idea. In Genesis, Adam is placed in the garden “to serve and protect it” (Genesis 2:15). Dominion was never meant to be destructive—it was always a call to stewardship.
The prophet Isaiah envisioned a world where the lion lies down with the lamb, and no one hurts or destroys on God’s holy mountain. Paul writes of creation groaning, waiting for liberation. Jesus taught that not even a sparrow falls outside the care of God. The arc of Scripture bends toward reconciliation with all life.
More than Human doesn’t use religious language. But its vision echoes these truths. It offers what the theologian N.T. Wright calls a “signpost”—something outside the Church that still points toward the Kingdom.
The Gospel According to Design
You don’t have to be an architect or artist to respond. We are all designing something—habits, homes, schedules, lives. Every choice is a blueprint for the kind of world we want to inhabit.
Choosing plant-based meals. Supporting ethical fashion. Giving space in our gardens for pollinators. Campaigning for laws that protect ecosystems. Teaching our children to notice and name the birds. These are all acts of co-creation.
God, the First Designer, invites us not to stand above creation but within it. To design with empathy. To build with reverence. To eat with gratitude and restraint. To speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
This Season of Creation, let us design lives that reflect the love of the One who crafted every wing, paw, and petal. Let us break bread in ways that preach peace. Let us build a world where, once again, God might look at all He has made—and call it very good.
