Vision
In a world dominated by smartness through complex algorithms monitoring our everyday lives, we tend to quantize everything we encounter. This brings the risk of our lives, cultural scripts, and systems becoming rigid and normalized, drained of spontaneity and creativity (Pink et al., 2018). I learned that design can be a tool for cultural critique. It can challenge dominant narratives of efficiency and the illusion of control by guiding behaviour through design. I believe that information does not always need to be exact to be meaningful. My philosophy is that the role of a designer is to explore new ways of thinking and making, in order to resist getting set in our way’s and ensure technological and societal progression.
The greatest designer of all in my opinion is evolution. When we look back to the last 100 years we see that we got more and more dissociated from the ecosystems we depend on. I think my role is to design products systems that reconnect users with ecosystems the they depend on, by helping designers to re-introducing living organisms in everyday life, like the work Yuta Ikeya in Negotiating with the Garden achieves (Negotiating With The Garden — Yuta Ikeya, z.d.).
Biology offers exciting new possibilities for design. It is not a material, but a co-creator full of living intelligence, behaviour, and potential. By collaborating with biology and ecology designers can create new kinds of products, systems, and knowledge that are relational, adaptive, and alive(Karana et al., 2020).
I imagine a future where products are not just smart, but alive. A future shaped not only by algorithms and data, but also by living systems and biological intelligence. In this future, design is not focused solely on solving human problems with human-made technology. Instead, smart products are rooted in organic processes. They foster new relationships between humans, non-humans, and the environments they co-create to thrive mentally, physically, and ecologically. This is how we design for a healthy Earth.
Karana, E., Barati, B., & Giaccardi, E. (2020). Living Artefacts: Conceptualizing Livingness as a Material Quality in Everyday Artefacts. International Journal Of Design, 14(3), 37–53. https://research.tudelft.nl/en/publications/living-artefacts-conceptualizing-livingness-as-a-material-quality
Negotiating with the Garden — Yuta Ikeya. (z.d.). Yuta Ikeya. https://www.yutaikeya.com/projects/negotiating-with-the-garden
Pink, S., Ruckenstein, M., Willim, R., & Duque, M. (2018). Broken data: Conceptualising data in an emerging world. Big Data & Society, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951717753228
Professional Identity
For me, designing is a tangible, functional and physical method of philosophizing. It is my way of applying scientific theories and personal ideas to guide behaviour in the physical world and investigating the world around me. This is driven by an enormous amount of curiosity in a broad spectrum of topics. Now, I focus this research through design mentality on the inspiring field of bio design by adapting a more-than-human perspective on living artefacts. I leverage the beautiful capabilities of nature, created through a four-billion-year-long iterative design process called evolution, in my designs.
Designing by making
Because my thoughts often turn inward and become tangled in the chaos of my mind, it is essential for me to bring my ideas into the physical world. Making things tangible, helps me clarify and understand them. Through this process of designing by making, I learned to use a wide range of digital and physical tools. One example is my ability to rapidly make lo-fi prototypes by using a combination of illustrator and laser cutters. Lately, I have also become more proficient in using 3D software like Fusion 360 (for mechanical designs) and Blender (for organic shapes). I make those designs tangible by utilizing my growing knowledge of 3d printing. For more hy-fi prototyping, I use my woodworking skills in combination with my knowledge of micro controllers like Arduino. I developed part of my skills at Studio Toer, where I worked as a design production assistant and helped building multiple artworks. It refined my skills in working with Arduino, electrical circuits, spray paint and stainless steel. Because I like to design with the living, I learned to work in a bio-lab. Practicing skills like working in a sterile environment, and protocols for handling microorganisms mainly focusing on fungi.
The language of aesthetics
I see aesthetics as the language of objects and artifacts. It is how a design to speaks to its users. As a designer, I need to speak this language fluently. Although I think there is still much to gain, I think I am getting better and better at it.
Design researcher
I see myself as a design researcher, because I use design not only to create practical solutions, but mainly to generate knowledge. In the final year of my bachelor’s degree, I completed two research projects that helped shape this perspective. The first project followed a more traditional research approach. The second project used a research through design methodology.
This experience gave me an important insight. As a designer, I bring a set of skills to the research process that are often missing in conventional methods. A design approach allows me to create artifacts and design situations that support knowledge generation in a more holistic and embodied way. By quickly prototyping, iterating and utilizing aesthetics, I can explore topics from multiple perspectives. This often leads to new and unexpected insights that would not easily emerge through traditional research methods.
Teamwork
Collaboration is key in any design process. Teamwork is where I thrive. I excel in environments where I can unite and energize the people around me and make people enthusiastic about concepts. In a design process I am comfortable at diverging, but I struggle at converging idea’s. This is where groups can often help . I love working with people with varied disciplines, interests and perspectives. In group projects I try to take on the role of facilitator.
Designing with the living for local communities
In my final bachelor’s year, I focused on designing with and for fungi, using the species Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) and Pleurotus Ostreatus (Oyster). This developed my knowledge and attitude towards designing with the living.
In addition, I am very community driven. I like volunteering, which I have done in the neighbourhood where I grew up since the age of twelve and continued as a student at my student association. It taught me valuable lessons about commitment, taking responsibility, and intrinsic motivation.
Future
In the future, I aspire to connect local communities to the biological systems that are already present around them. I want to inspire people, tap into their creativity, breaking cultural scripts, and let them think in ways they never did before.
Education & Career Plans
After completing my bachelor’s degree, I will start the Master’s program in Industrial Design at the Technical University of Eindhoven. This program offers me the opportunity to explore the topics I want to develop further. I am especially curious about working with more expressive organisms, such as insects, and exploring how they can be integrated into daily life in meaningful and respectful ways.
Looking ahead, I see two possible directions for my career. One option is to pursue a path in research through. I enjoy generating knowledge and using design to make sense of the world around me. I find it exciting to ask questions through making and to explore complex topics from different perspectives. However, reading and writing are not my strongest skills, and these are important parts of academic research. Although that makes me hesitant, I am determined to find ways to grow in this area.
The second option is to start a design studio together with a good friend. During my time at Studio TOER, a small design studio, I discovered that I enjoy working in a close-knit, creative environment. I liked the hands-on nature of the work, the collaboration, and the energy of building something together. It showed me that a small studio can be a powerful space for experimentation, expression, and impact.
Whichever path I choose, I want to stay close to the things that drive me: curiosity, collaboration, and designing with the living. I hope to inspire others to think differently, to reconnect with the biological systems around them, and to explore new ways of being creative in a world that is constantly changing.