At his “social design lab”, Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde and his team of designers and engineers connect people and technology in artworks that improve daily life in urban environments, spark imagination and fight the climate crisis. They aim to create dreamscapes for the liveability of our future landscapes.

Roosgaarde’s values: Clean air, clean water, clean energy, and now clean space.

Internationally acclaimed works include WATERLICHT (a virtual flood showing the power of water), SMOG FREE PROJECT (the world’s first largest outdoor air purifier which turns smog into jewellery), SMART HIGHWAY (roads that charge throughout the day and glow at night) and the SPACE WASTE LAB (visualising and upcycling space waste).

Roosgaarde’s mantra: “Schoonheid”

Roosegaarde’s mantra ‘Schoonheid’ is a Dutch word with two meanings: ‘beauty’, that comes from creativity; and ‘clean’, that comes from clean air and clean energy. For Roosegaarde this should be a fundamental condition in daily life. Daan Roosegaarde frequently shares his visionary ideas and projects at lectures across the world, including at TED and NASA.

 

Raumwelten 2020: What can we learn from the virus? Utopias for the future of communication in space

I had the chance to listen to his mind blowing opening lecture at this years interdisciplinary RAUMWELTEN ONLINE CONFERENCE which took place in November 2020. The title  „Vom Virus lernen?“,- Utopien für die Zukunft von Kommunikation im Raum – (What can we learn from the virus? Utopias for the future of communication in space!) attracted more than 3.000 designer, artists, architects, media, creators and urban planners to discuss and get inspired.