Contemporary spatial design remains almost exclusively built by humans, for humans, a practice that frequently severs our connection to local ecosystems and marginalizes non-human life. In response to this rigid, anthropocentric paradigm, this project explores how architecture can function as a living, collaborative bridge between species, decentralizing human dominance to restore ecological balance.
Multispecies Basket - Anđela Zora Brnas -
Rooted in Tradition
The foundation of this practice relies on a core ethical principle: designing with a species rather than simply exploiting it as a raw material. Central to this exploration is the willow tree (Salix), an ancient organism deeply interwoven with both Dutch and Croatian cultural heritage and craft traditions.
Anđela Zora Brnas
"We are often obsessed with making something no one has ever seen before. Yet so many vital practices already exist, they are simply getting lost. Real innovation lies in rediscovering these traditions and adapting them to today’s world."
While modern design often prioritizes radical novelty and hyper-innovation, this research turns toward existing, forgotten wisdom. Rather than yielding to the pressure of creating something entirely unprecedented, the project re-evaluates traditional crafts and ecological knowledge, recontextualizing them to meet contemporary environmental needs.
At Mediamatic, the living structure takes the form of an ongoing, open-ended experiment situated within the garden’s tumulus. Developing living architecture within an urban, managed environment
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Multispecies basket by Anđela Zora Brnas
Mediamatic Biotoop, Dijkspark 6, Amsterdam
The installation is located next to the Sluisdeurenloods (wooden Barn) on the ground floor of Mediamatic Biotoop.