Heritage of Other Species

Year: 2025
Role: Workshop Design, Graphic Design
Collaborators: Jordan Murray, Nicole Afonso Alves Calistri
For: Regenerate! Symposium - Maastricht University, Jan Van Eyck Academie, MAACH

This participatory workshop invited designers, artists, and researchers to reimagine the concept of heritage through a non-human lens. Co-led with members of the Biodesign Collective, we explored the lasting material legacies of species such as leaf-cutter ants, weaving birds, and shell-making insects. Participants engaged in speculative biomimicry, creating ephemeral structures inspired by these “natural architects,” using organic, transient materials.

The workshop challenged human-centred views of permanence, encouraging reflection on the ecological significance of impermanence and material life cycles. Through drawing, model-making, and discussion, we explored how non-human creations can inform regenerative design, reframing heritage as a dynamic, multispecies practice. This session was part of a broader effort to foster bio-inclusive, systems-based thinking within biodesign and sustainability discourse.