Sustainable Futures Through Biodesign

NEW INC, NEW MUSEUM

The Urchin Futures augmented reality experience was presented as part of the NEW INC, New Museum exhibition at Seaport in New York. Supported by Science Sandbox and MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, the Creative Science track exhibition focused on engaging creative practitioners in exploring bioart, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotech, digital manufacturing, and other science-based research areas through their practice.
Augmented Reality, High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography of the Atlantic Green Sea Urchin

ENTANGLED BIO/MEDIA, CHRONUS ART CENTER, SHANGHAI

Entangled: bio/media exhibition explored biomedia— integration of biology, AI, electronics, algorithms, and informatics as core elements of artistic creation. Highlighting "techno-vitality," it expanded the understanding of life and media agency in the digital age.
Virtual Reality Video

Anastasiia Raina Associate Professor at RISD

URCHIN FUTURES—CIRCULAR ECONOMIES FOR SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURES

Urchin Futures addresses the urgency of climate change by bridging science and local community activism through design. In this project, I connected and led a team of design researchers from the Rhode Island School of Design, marine biologists from the University of Rhode Island and the University of Maine, urchin farmers, and local restaurants. Together, we worked on exploring climate-resilient aquacultures by introducing the temperature-resilient sea urchin into local aquaculture and building a circular system. Our circular system combined sustainable urchin farming, urchin waste reuse, and gastronomic explorations of urchin roe to benefit the local economy, society, and the environment.

Design Researchers: Yimei Hu, Chenxi Wang, Miguel Enrique Lastra, Max Damon
Science Collaborators: Dr. Coleen Suckling, Steve Eddy, Jordan Kramer Community Partners: Nikhil Naker, Trinity Auriemma, Eating With the Ecosystem Urchin Futures was sponsored by the Hyundai Motor Group’s Adaptive Ecologies research and RISD Professional Development Grant

The Urchin Futures dinner menu was developed in conversation with the local chefs Nikhil Navnish Naiker and Trinity Auriemma, whose cooking style revolved around sourcing, showcasing local seafood, and using local seafood season-al vegetables grown in Rhode Island. Together, we created a menu that explores uni beyond its raw state and imagines urchin roe as a more versatile ingredient. Anastasiia Raina Associate Professor at RISD

SATELLITE CAPTURE WORKSHOP

The climate crisis is a crisis of communication and imagination. Climate politics are based on information visualization that are often outdated, incomplete, and biased. As a result, political actions frequently fail to adequately address the escalating catastrophe. Data Imaginaries investigates the politics of location, DIY, and open-source tools that shape our capacities to observe, negotiate, and respond to the climate crisis in real time.

Somerson Sustainability and Innovation Fund
Science Collaborators: Dr. Sasha Engelmann, Royal Holloway, University of London and Sophie Dyer

BEYOND ADVANCED, YALE SCHOOL OF ART

Designed and curated in collaboration with Ben Ganz, Chris Rypkema, Franci Virgil, Laura Coombs

INFORMATION
Anastasiia Raina is an Associate Professor at RISD. In her research-based practice, Anastasiia explores the aesthetics of technologically mediated nature and the environment through machine vision, evolutionary biology, and incorporating biotechnology into the design practice. She draws upon scientific inquiry and works with scientists to generate new methodologies in design. (Read full profile).

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