Professional Identity
Growing up in a rapidly changing environment, buffeted by various forces—individual people, technological advancements, socio-economic pressures, and geopolitical events- made me realize that we cannot afford to view the world in isolated silos. This realization has profoundly influenced my identity as a designer, fostering a sensitivity towards systemic complexity.
While systems thinking excels at mapping broad connections, it often risks overlooking finer details and nuances critical to understanding real-world complexities. My interest as a designer lies in this in-between space - the messy, intangible, and complex zone that lies between grasping larger systems and addressing specific, granular details.
I am interested in navigating the reality of our multiple crises with various stakeholders. I believe that a plurality of perspectives is needed to engage in imaginations that depict a diverse unfolding of potential futures. It involves thinking beyond dominant notions of technological progress and emphasizing interdependent, relational agencies over individualism. I believe that by leveraging the collective capacity of human/nonhuman stakeholders, we can address the multifaceted challenges our society faces.
As a design researcher I explore technology mediated human-nonhuman interaction within more-than-human design. My preferred research approach is research-through-design and critical design. My design philosophy integrates interdisciplinary knowledge and rigorous research with thinking-through-making, allowing for unmediated material engagement and reflective, iterative processes. As a design researcher, I hope to contribute to the field of more-than-human design and post anthropocentric perspectives.
Presenting Not so Subtle at demoday
Presenting Soil Habitability at demoday
Material explorations from waste orange at Spar, TU/e campus.
Alternative perspective on data when designing with electrogenic bacteria, in project Translating Soil Vibrancy
Vision
To keep up with our needs, we have undone what took nature billions of years of evolution. If life on earth is to survive, we must reorient our relationship with nature. I am interested in transitioning from the current dichotomy of consumption and conservation, towards a future that represents a shift from consuming nature as a resource to nurturing her.
As we take cognizance of the impact of design across disciplines, designers are in a unique position to establish interdisciplinary collaborations. Through our design decisions, we can foster dynamic and transformative ways of interaction. I envision design as a medium to move beyond mere maintenance of nature towards radical betterment. By integrating a diversity of perspectives, we foster shared agency between humans and nonhumans.
As a designer, I envision an alternate non- dualistic future where we no longer perceive humans and nature as being separate. By focusing on values of radical interdependence and care and more collaborative, and place-based approaches, I strive to create a more-than-human centered mindset, leading to more just and sustainable social orders.
I see integrating computation in natural systems as an interesting way to initiate inter-species communications. Such communication strategies can help build a symbiotic and sustainable relationship with those around us. I strive to blend computational methodologies, biology, and (bio)(digital)fabrication, integrating the digital and biological domains. Design research can surface emergent complexities and entanglements in such endeavors. In an attempt to design responsibly, a reflective transformative design process allows for a sincere evaluation of lived experiences and situated knowledge, that promotes a reflective processes of iterative development. I want to mold my design process to be able to create designs unified with nature allowing me to make considerations outside of anthropocentric boundaries.
Competency areas
Over the course of my study at Industrial design, I have defined the competency areas to suit my development strategy and reflect my values. Below you can find these definitions.
Creativity and Aesthetics: Forging aesthetic interactions with/for emerging materials by drawing upon their inherent livingness to shape novel experiences and narratives of what is yet to be imagined.
Technology and Realization: Using technology as a mediator to creating functional and interactive artefacts, with/for emerging materials to blur boundaries between human-made and nature-grown.
Math, Data, and Computing: Drawing on data from living systems to define functionality of the artefact and the ability to design, implement, and manage computational systems to create bi-directional communication between humans and nonhumans.
User and Society: Discuss and understand the relationship between human and non-human entities, and requirements of non-humans to create mutually beneficial living artefacts to showcase the influence it can have on our society.
