BINATIONAL ARTISTIC PhD-PROGRAM

Janina Ebner’s doctoral research investigates how different concepts of life shape multispecies design practices. While more-than-human design seeks to move beyond human-centred perspectives by considering nonhuman beings, environments, and ecological processes, the question of what constitutes “life” often remains unexamined. Yet different understandings of life influence which beings and processes become visible, whose needs are recognised, and what forms of coexistence and responsibility become possible within design.

The research examines how concepts of life are understood and translated into design practices. Drawing on perspectives from biology, philosophy, science and technology studies, and design theory, it explores the assumptions underlying contemporary multispecies design. Through discourse analysis and comparative case studies, the project investigates how these assumptions inform design decisions, forms of representation, and the inclusion or exclusion of different forms of life.

The practice-based part of the research focuses on soil as a living, relational, and multispecies system. Although soil sustains essential ecological processes, architecture and design frequently approach it as ground, surface, resource, or construction material. Soil therefore becomes a field of investigation through which the relationship between life, perception, and representation can be explored. How can forms of life that are difficult to perceive become relevant within design processes? And what happens when soil is approached not as a passive background, but as an active participant in shaping environments?

Through critical mapping, sensory observation, material experimentation, and speculative design, the project investigates how soil relations and living processes can be perceived, represented, and translated into design. Mapping is understood not as neutral documentation, but as a situated practice that shapes what becomes visible, relevant, and negotiable. Rather than seeking a universal definition of life, the research aims to make different assumptions about life and their consequences for design explicit, opening up possibilities for rethinking relations between humans, nonhumans, and their shared environments.