A new harmonious living world between humans, nature and technology
- Design
The process, thinking and reflecting on that and more critical design; For Luca Oosterloo, this is central to creating his finals work. This is his final year at the Graphic Design course at the ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Zwolle. His finals work is about 'symbiocene,' a new era in which humankind, nature and technology live in harmony. He shows how humankind stands in the world and how this role can change.
An inquisitive person, Luca puts the process first in his graduate project. He shows not one specific final object, but multiple works and especially his findings during the making process. He uses 3D programs in his work to design and codes his own websites. He also researches physical materials, such as hemp blocks. "I used to do a lot more with digital design, but am now challenged to look at other forms. I stumbled upon 'symbiocene' during my research, a counter-reaction to the times we live in today. Humankind is now dominant, at the expense of biodiversity. That's why I want to focus more on that harmony between humans, nature and technology," Luca says.
Symbiotic design at Graphic Design 
Designers, too, have a responsibility in how they interact with the world, Luca cites in his finals work 'Het Bestaan Uit Allen' ('The Existence from All'). That is why he mostly uses leftover material for the pedestals on which he presents his work. Also, his thesis is printed on a specific type of paper, which can be planted in the soil after you read it. His finals work is a kind of symbiotic lab, showing the visitor various designs around humans, nature and technology.
A new world full of transition
You can see Luca's dissertation readable, planted and a tablet showing his own website about his process. There are also Petri dishes containing a nutrient medium made of agar-agar, which reacts to human touch, and an artificial reproduction of a tree on screen. All of that is connected by wires. "That's how you walk into this space and you're really somewhere else for a while. In a new world full of transition," Luca says. "I like to experiment and want to show how to design symbiotically. It's also about long-term designs, that's what I want to share."
It's also about long-term designs, that's what I want to share."
The end point is not always the most important, according to Luca. As a matter of fact, it is the constant dialogue with his work, multiple smaller discoveries along the way and staying with the process, that is what it is all about. A deeper way of designing and looking more critically at the world, that is what he takes with him from the course.
Luca's finals work will be on display from 29 June to 9 July 2023 the Academy of Art & Design's finals exhibition in Zwolle.
More about the bachelor's Graphic Design in Zwolle
