Webinar Title: Strangers Need Strange Moments Together: Designing Interaction for Public Spaces
Hosted by: What Design Can Do
Speakers: Mouna Andraos & Melissa Mongiat (Co-founders, Daily tous les jours)
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
6:30 - 8:00 PM CEST / 12:30 – 2:00 PM EDT / 9:30 – 11:00 AM PDT
Strangers Need Strange Moments Together: Designing Interaction for Public Spaces
In this webinar Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, co-founders of the Montreal-based art and design studio Daily tous les jours, reflect on 15 years of combining interactive art, storytelling, performance, and urban design to reinvent living together in the 21st century.
Drawing from their book Strangers Need Strange Moments Together (Set Margins’ Publications) and their Social Impact Study of Permanent Interactive Public Artworks, they will explore how public spaces can become inclusive, accessible gathering places.
As cities confront growing social polarization and an epidemic of loneliness, the founders of Daily tous les jours will present research-backed evidence showing how interactive installations combat isolation and deepen a sense of community belonging, all while asking fundamental questions about creating meaningful work in a world in crisis.
Suggested reading in preparation for the lecture:
Social Impact Study of Permanent Interactive Public Artworks (Conducted with The Lakota Group and Addendum)
Strangers Need Strange Moments Together (Set Margins’ Publications)
Mouna Andraos
Co-founder, Daily tous les jours
Mouna Andraos co-founded Daily tous les jours in 2010 alongside Melissa Mongiat. Mouna holds a Master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and a Bachelor degree from Concordia University, where she is an adjunct professor at the Design and Computation Arts department. She is also a member of the Société des arts technologiques (SAT)’s board of directors.
Prior to Daily tous les jours, Mouna worked under the label Electronic Crafts exploring the intersection of mass-produced electronics and handmade crafts to create playful, sustainable, or participatory objects. Her web-based work for the interactive agency Bluesponge has won numerous international recognitions, including Webby Awards, a Best of Show at the SXSW Festival, and a Cyber Lion in Cannes.
Melissa Mongiat
Co-founder, Daily tous les jours
Melissa Mongiat co-founded Daily tous les jours in 2010, alongside Mouna Andraos. Melissa holds a Master’s degree in Creative Practice for Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK. She is a visiting lecturer at UQAM, Concordia University and Central Saint Martins.
Prior to Daily tous les jours, Melissa was based in London, where she worked under the label Milk & Tales with Kelsey Snook and Arlete Castelo. Collaborations included the Southbank Centre, Philharmonic Orchestra, London Design Council, and led to her selection by Wallpaper* magazine as one of the world’s ten breakthrough designers. Melissa also co-founded Like People Do, a research consultancy based at Central Saint Martins’ Innovation Centre focusing on responsive environments.