Ada Parris

<p dir="ltr">Ada Parris is a London-based futurist, artist and cultural visionary whose work spans technology, ecology and ancestral wisdom.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ada is an anti-disciplinary artist, tech futurist and keynote speaker whose practice asks what it means to be human in an age of constant transformation. Through her company, The House of Griots, and her research philosophy, Cyborg Shamanism, she brings together digital innovation and traditional ecological knowledge to reimagine systems of care, culture and creativity. At the heart of her work is a simple, powerful invitation: <em>What type of ancestor do you want to be?</em></p> <p dir="ltr">For more than two decades, Ada has helped organisations think differently about ethics, imagination and change. She has collaborated with Google, Unilever and NatWest Bank, and worked with cultural and civic bodies including The British Council, The EU Council, Tate Modern and the British Film Institute. A sought-after voice on global stages, she has presented at TEDxSoho, TEDxAmsterdam and other major forums, recognised for making complex ideas clear, humane and actionable.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her artistic practice includes the immersive, multi-sensory performance <em>Medusa – the Transformation</em>, co-produced and performed at London’s Union Chapel, and an immersive roundtable on Cyborg Shamanism and the design of future technologies at Tate Modern. She has developed her work through international residencies with the Santa Barbara Centre for Art, Science and Technology, the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s Design Science Studio, and the Emergent Media Lab at the University of California, Irvine. She is also co-founder of Ism.Earth, supporting systems-level, regenerative thinking.</p> <p dir="ltr">A committed advocate for wellbeing and equity, Ada serves as Chair of Mental Health First Aid England and Chair of the Advisory Group for the Centre for Cultural Value, helping to shape national dialogue on culture’s role in social change. Her leadership has been widely recognised: as a TED Talks Global Emerging Innovator, among the UK’s Top 100 Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders in Technology, and longlisted as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology.</p> <p dir="ltr">Through all her work, Ada Parris models creative leadership that is imaginative, generous and grounded in social and ecological responsibility.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2025, Arts University Plymouth awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Adah Parris in recognition of an outstanding contribution to creative leadership in sustainable innovation.<br /></p>