This special edition of Lens of Impact, hosted at the Planetary Embassy, explores biodesign as a mode of planetary diplomacy. Biodesign, an emerging field at the intersection of biology, design, and technology, treats living systems as collaborators in the design process, rather than resources to be extracted. Biodesign translates natural and ecological processes into tangible human experiences, helping us recognize our deep entanglement with the more-than-human world.
We are joined for this conversation by the ZHdK team behind CHORNOZEM, a project that uses curcumin-based detection and drone imaging to reveal soil contamination caused by war in Ukraine. By making hidden ecological damage visible, CHORNOZEM exemplifies how design can serve as a tool for awareness, accountability, and new modes of collaboration. The project, designed by ZHdK students, was the winner of the 2025 Biodesign Challenge.
Speakers from ZHdK, Parsons School of Design, and the Biodesign Challenge will discuss diverse approaches to working with and learning from ecological systems, from the speculative to the scientific, highlighting how biodesign can open alternative pathways for creating knowledge, shaping ethics, and imagining futures beyond extraction.
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