MError is a deep fake AI of yourself, giving you a personal summary of your day and a glimpse into the data profiling you are otherwise not aware of.

As a voluntary tracker, it summarizes all the information you share with the apps on your phone and creates a psychological profile of you – just like all the other trackers do too.

But unlike the other apps, MError does not sell your data, it rather mirrors your weaknesses and helps you be a “better you”. If you like it or not.

Rather, they question how we can optimize our bodies for other purposes relevant to a near-future context where issues such as artificial intelligence surveillance, gender identity demands, and the cultivation of self-care and self-awareness are at the forefront.

This intervention creates a cozy refuge and urban meeting place to playfully talk, reflect, and speculate about these issues.

Make Kin is a (p)re-parenting retreat that invites participants to interrogate and challenge their notions around family, caregiving, and reproducing.

It is designed to help people reflect on their own lives, desires, and self-expression. What will give you the most satisfaction and fulfillment? What other forms of care, love, and intimacy are available to you? How would you justify your future child’s existence? And what about your inner child?

Because your first child should be your second one.

This work explores the theme of anger as experienced and expressed by individuals often marginalized by society, specifically those raised as women.

It delves into the societal and personal impacts of suppressing anger, suggesting that such suppression can lead to various physical and mental health issues. The thesis advocates for a reevaluation of anger, proposing that embracing and expressing it can lead to empowerment and better health.

It discusses both personal experiences and broader societal studies to highlight the transformative potential of acknowledging and channeling anger constructively.

With a power-critical, deconstructive perspective, the goal is to decode patriarchal constructions in order to reveal the underlying relationships of domination and power and thus to gain the possibility of constructing new attributions of meaning. In other words, this thesis asks the question:

How can patriarchal power relations be decoded (in the sense of deconstructed) and overcome (in the sense of re-constructed) through feminist design – or:
What can feminist design learn from patriarchy?

How can you feel touched without being touched? 

You enter a dark room. When you step into the light your shadow appears. It moves like you. It seems to be you. But it‘s not the you of today. It’s an old version of yourself. See what happens when you start to play, and what time might change.

After a couple of weeks into the project, I understood how complicated it was to bring my idea to life. So I asked the only company I could find working in this field, for help. This is their answer:

Since I didn’t have 50.000 USD to spend on this project, I expressed my sincere thanks for their feedback and decided to see how far I can get on my own. 

What surprised me is that their message did not demotivate me, but instead allowed me to dive fully into the project with nothing to lose, since I had it written in black and white that it is basically impossible to do. 

Instead of looking for ways for female-raised humans to act out their suppressed anger in silence or without attracting attention, I decided to find a way to make it easier for us to be angry – at any time of the day.

Even when we decide to smile because we don’t feel like constantly looking furious, our shirt reminds the rest of the world that we are angry. 

Now with some practical answers on the back, for all that get bored having to verbally answer the question: “But why are you angry?” 

How can you release your anger at home or on the run?

Create your own little biodegradable ring that helps you reconnect with yourself. Through the ritualistic process of making it, using ingredients that everyone has at home, you charge it with a purpose. And when you wear it, touch it, and smell it, it reminds you to tune in with yourself instead of looking at your phone. 

A ring that you solemnly create to see it die. Though by adding a seed it will grow into a flower. So you can toss it away and enjoy your ritual all over again. 

A bracelet that helps you stay calm during a panic or anxiety attack – inspired by the ancient Pranayama breathing technique. 

It is designed so you can use it in your everyday life without catching any attention.

The first four elevations help you count while you breathe in. The whole in the middle is for holding your breath. Like this, you are able to touch yourself for a moment, which can feel soothing and relaxing. The other six notches, while getting smaller, help you count while you breathe out.

I started building different prototypes and passing them to friends and colleagues. After one week of using them, the test subjects filled out a feedback questionnaire that allowed me to learn what is important in daily use and what I should change.

This project is in progress.

Please come back every once in a while for updates – but only if you are very very keen to see how goes on 🙂