Internet of things author, consultant, public speaker and entrepreneur Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino has been appointed Chair of international digital arts agency, Mediale celebrated for producing, exhibiting and touring work from artists working around the blurred edges of digital art. 

With a background in industrial and interaction design Alexandra brings a wealth of creativity and expertise. She is the author of Creating a Culture of Innovation (2020), Smarter Homes: How Technology Will Change Your Home Life (2018) and through her company Designwarm created the Good Night Lamp which is in the permanent collection of the London Design Museum. Her work can also be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Alexandra was also the first UK distributor of the Arduino, an open-source electronic prototyping platform enabling users to create interactive electronic objects. As curator of the London Internet of Things Meetup between 2011-2020 she helped the community create BetterIoT, a free checklist to help founders and product managers make more ethical decisions.

Alexandra has been included in the longlist of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in Tech in the UK every year between 2017 and 2022. She is the founder of the Low Carbon Design Institute that supports artists and designers in taking action to address climate change and is currently Design Director at TPXImpact.

“I’m delighted to support Mediale in this new capacity and look forward to working with new trustees very soon. Mediale is an important champion of cross disciplinary art practices which I believe are vital to the UK’s art scene and I look forward to working with Tom and the team on expanding their reach and impact.”

Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino 

Tom Higham, Creative Director, Mediale, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino as our new chair. This is an exciting and challenging time in our journey as we continue to build support and opportunities for the digital art sector, and we can think of no one better to have at the helm. Alexandra has been an invaluable board member for the last three years and myself and the entire organisation are hugely excited she has agreed to step up. We are growing and changing, working nationally and internationally supporting artists by commissioning, producing and developing new work and are looking for new trustees to join our board.”