Hello
Biography
Cyrus Clarke is an award-winning designer, artist, and technologist known for his poetic use of emerging technologies to create prototypes for beautiful and regenerative futures. Looking to the natural world for inspiration, he seeks to promote futures rooted in biological wisdom, through a deep partnership with nature.
Cyrus asks unconventional questions to develop works that offer a fresh perspective. His focus lies on shifting notions of nature and technology through creations, ranging from mixed-media installations, films, live experiences and digital applications. In particular he is fascinated by data as a material, working with nature as a technology to re-frame human relationships with organic and constructed systems, and initiate discussion on the ethical, environmental, political and socioeconomic implications of the technology filled worlds we are rushing to create.
Selected Awards
Science Breakthrough of the Year, Falling Walls
Art & Science (2022)
EU Starts Prize, Honorary Mention
Data Garden (2021)
UN Summer of Solutions
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
EU Starts Prize, Nomination
Urban Data Forest (2023)
Dezeen Awards, Sustainable Design, Longlisted
Data Garden (2021)
Core77 Design Awards, Speculative Design Award, Runner Up
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Core77 Design Awards, Design for Social Impact, Notable
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Core77 Design Awards, Strategy & Research, Notable
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Prix Bloxhub, Honorary Mention
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
Core77 Awards, Runner Up
What the Block (2019)
Interaction Awards, Shortlist
Data Flowershop (2019)
Interaction Awards, Runner Up
What the Block (2018)
Interaction Awards, Shortlist
Doliio (2017)
Approach and Experience
Cyrus works in an interdisciplinary manner, blending a design practice rooted within interaction design and speculative design, with material applications of emerging technologies such as machine learning, blockchain, and biotechnology.
He has employed this approach founding and creating various ventures most notably Grow Your Own Cloud, a research organization exploring the future of data storage through DNA data storage technology. Cyrus is also the creator of award-winning educational game What The Block, fact-checking service SIFT and was formerly digital innovation lead at L’Oréal Global.
As an independent designer, Cyrus creates concepts and consults on design futures, experience design, interaction design and overall strategy for commercial clients such as IKEA and World Expo 2020, as well as institutional initiatives for bodies such as the United Nations and the European Union.
Selected Clients and Employers
United Nations
World Expo 2020 Dubai
EU Horizon 2020
IKEA
L'Oreal
Tellart
L2 Labs
Channel 4
Initiatives Founded
Grow Your Own Cloud
(2017 - Ongoing)
What the Block
(2018 - Ongoing)
SIFT
(2017 - 2018)
Education
MA Interaction Design (2016)
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
BA Hons Economics (2009)
University of Nottingham
Exhibits and Recognition
His creative work has been recognised and exhibited internationally at major art institutes including Bozar, Brussels, Telefonica Foundation, Madrid, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica, Dutch Design Week, and Bio26 - 26th Biennial of Design, Ljubljana. Cyrus has also shown work at events such as SXSW, Viva Tech, WSJ Future Of and WEF Davos.
He is grateful to be the recipient of many international awards including Scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2022 for art and science from Falling Walls, EU Starts Prize 2021, Interaction Awards, Core77, BloxHub and the UN Summer of Solutions.
He has been awarded numerous residencies including Ginkgo Creative Residency, EU STARTS Repairing the Present, Tabakalera, ML4A, and Laboratory Residency.
Cyrus's has appeared on shows broadcast by Netflix, RTL and France24, and his work has been published in major publications such as Vice/Motherboard, La Stampa, Der Spiegel, DAMN Magazine, Computable, L'ADN, and SoGood.
Always keen to share knowledge, he leads dozens of courses and workshops each year around design futures and emerging technologies. Since 2018, through the What the Block game and workshop, he has introduced more than 500 people to the principles of Blockchain technology.
Cyrus enjoys sharing his reflections and is appreciated for his talks. He is a regular keynote and panel speaker on a range of topics such as value beyond money, radical technologies and biological data futures.
Selected Exhibitions
Urban Data Forest
ZKM (2022)
Data Garden
Telefonica Foundation (2022)
Interspecies Gossip
Copernicus Museum (2022)
Data Garden
Biennale Warsawa (2022)
Data Garden
Bozar, Brussels (2021)
Data Garden
Ars Electronica (2021)
Data Garden
Catch Helsingor & Roskilde Festival (2021)
Data Garden
SXSW (2021)
Bodies of Knowledge
Bio26, Ljubljana (2019)
#sad
Richmond Gallery, WA (2018)
Selected Teaching and Lectures
Ancient Future Technology - Lecture
MIT (2021, 2022)
How to Grow Almost Anything - Lecture
MIT (2022)
Regenerative Data Storage - Lecture
University of Chicago - 2021
Grow Your Own Cloud - Lecture
University of Calgary (2021, 2022)
The Future of Work - Course
Hyper Island (2022)
Exponential Technology - Course
Hyper Island (2021)
21st Century Clean 'Data Hygiene' - Course
MA Social Design, Design Academy Eindhoven (2020)
Designing with Blockchain - Course
CIID (2018, 2019, 2021)
Data Warming and the Cloud - Lecture
NYU ITP (2019)
What The Block - Course
CBS, DTU (2017 - 2020)
Designing with Biology - Lecture
Master's Co-Design
KADK (2017)
Contact me
If you would like to speak to me about creative collaborations, imaginative initiatives, workshop facilitation, or anything else, please contact me at:
For speaking engagements please contact Deborah Burns of Propela:
deborah@propela.co.uk
Social
You can find me @cyrusclarke
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
and @cyrus
Farcaster
Selected Talks
Falling Walls (2022)
'Storing data in plants'
Brave New World (2022)
'Regenerative data'
Biennale Warsaw (2022)
'Grow Your Own DAO'
Maddy Keynote (2021)
'Can data be ecological?'
Maddy Keynote (2021)
'Grow Your Own Cloud'
World Economic Forum (2020)
'SDG Live'
COP 25 (2019)
'Grow Your Own Cloud'
The Conference (2019)
'Playing with Biology'
Design AM (2019)
'Radical Technologies'
IAM (2019)
'Grow Your Own Cloud'
Design Biennial Kochi (2018)
'The future of Indian Architecture' (panel)
Hello
Cyrus Clarke is an award-winning designer, artist, and technologist known for his poetic use of emerging technologies to create prototypes for beautiful and regenerative futures. Looking to the natural world for inspiration, he seeks to promote futures rooted in biological wisdom, through a deep partnership with nature.
Cyrus asks unconventional questions to develop works that offer a fresh perspective. His focus lies on shifting notions of nature and technology through creations, ranging from mixed-media installations, films, live experiences and digital applications. In particular he is fascinated by data as a material, working with nature as a technology to re-frame human relationships with organic and constructed systems, and initiate discussion on the ethical, environmental, political and socioeconomic implications of the technology filled worlds we are rushing to create.
Awards and Nominations
Cyrus is the recipient of many international awards including Scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2022 for Art and Science, EU Starts Prize 2021, Interaction Awards, Core77, BloxHub and the UN Summer of Solutions. He has also been awarded numerous residencies including Ginkgo Creative Residency, EU STARTS Repairing the Present, Tabakalera, ML4A, and Laboratory Residency.
Science Breakthrough of the Year, Falling Walls
Art & Science (2022)
EU Starts Prize, Honorary Mention
Data Garden (2021)
UN Summer of Solutions
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
EU Starts Prize, Nomination
Urban Data Forest (2023)
Dezeen Awards, Sustainable Design, Longlisted
Data Garden (2021)
Core77 Design Awards, Speculative Design Award, Runner Up
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Core77 Design Awards, Design for Social Impact, Notable
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Core77 Design Awards, Strategy & Research, Notable
Escaping the Strange Loop (2020)
Prix Bloxhub, Honorary Mention
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
Core77 Awards, Runner Up
What the Block (2019)
Interaction Awards, Shortlist
Data Flowershop (2019)
Interaction Awards, Runner Up
What the Block (2018)
Interaction Awards, Shortlist
Doliio (2017)
Approach and Professional Experience
Cyrus works in an interdisciplinary manner, blending a design practice rooted within interaction design and speculative design, with material applications of emerging technologies such as machine learning, blockchain, and biotechnology.
He has employed this approach founding and creating various ventures most notably Grow Your Own Cloud, a research organization exploring the future of data storage through DNA data storage technology. Cyrus is also the creator of award-winning educational game What The Block, fact-checking service SIFT.
Cyrus was formerly digital innovation lead at L’Oréal Global where he oversaw the design and development of global e-commerce across all major international markets for 13 brands including YSL beauty and Lancome.
As an independent designer, Cyrus creates concepts and consults on design futures, experience design, interaction design and overall strategy for commercial clients such as IKEA and World Expo 2020, as well as institutional initiatives for bodies such as the United Nations and the European Union.
Selected Employers and Clients
L'Oreal
United Nations
EU Horizon 2020
IKEA
World Expo 2020
Tellart
Channel 4
Initiatives Founded
Grow Your Own Cloud
(2017 - Ongoing)
What the Block
(2018 - Ongoing)
SIFT
(2017 - 2018)
Education
MA Interaction Design (2016)
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
BA Hons Economics (2009)
University of Nottingham
Creative Works
Cyrus' work has featured by Netflix and Wired, exhibited internationally at major institutes including Bozar, Brussels, and ZKM, Karlsruhe and featured at events such as SXSW.
Cyrus' creative work has been exhibited major art institutions including Bozar, Brussels, Telefonica Foundation, Madrid, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Tabakalera, San Sebastian, Ars Electronica, Dutch Design Week, and Bio26 - 26th Biennial of Design, Ljubljana. He has also shown work at events such as SXSW, Viva Tech, WSJ Future Of, and WEF Davos.
Cyrus has appeared on shows broadcast by Netflix, RTL and France24, and his work has been published in major publications such as Wired, Vice/Motherboard, La Stampa, Der Spiegel, DAMN Magazine, Computable, L'ADN, and SoGood.
Selected Exhibitions
Urban Data Forest
ZKM (2022)
Data Garden
Telefonica Foundation (2022)
Interspecies Gossip
Copernicus Museum (2022)
Clouds of Pollen
Tabakalera (2022)
Data Garden
Biennale Warsawa (2022)
Data Garden
Bozar, Brussels (2021)
Data Garden
Ars Electronica (2021)
Data Garden
Catch Helsingor & Roskilde Festival (2021)
Data Garden
SXSW (2021)
Bodies of Knowledge
Bio26, Ljubljana (2019)
#sad
Richmond Gallery, WA (2018)
Teaching and Workshops
Always keen to share knowledge, he leads dozens of courses and workshops each year around design futures and emerging technologies. Since 2018, through the What the Block game and workshop, he has introduced more than 1000 people to the principles of Blockchain technology.
Ancient Future Technology
MIT (2021, 2022)
How to Grow Almost Anything
MIT (2022)
Regenerative Data Storage
University of Chicago - 2021
Grow Your Own Cloud
University of Calgary (2021, 2022)
The Future of Work
Hyper Island (2022)
Exponential Technology
Hyper Island (2021)
21st Century Clean 'Data Hygiene'
MA Social Design, Design Academy Eindhoven (2020)
Designing with Blockchain
CIID (2018, 2019, 2021)
Data Warming and the Cloud
NYU ITP (2019)
Introduction to Blockchain
CBS, DTU (2017 - 2020)
Designing with Biology
Master's Co-Design
KADK (2017)
Talks
Cyrus enjoys sharing his reflections and is appreciated for his talks. He is a regular keynote and panel speaker.
For booking inquiries please reach out to Deborah Burns of Propela (deborah@propela.co.uk)
Selected Talks
GDI Institute (2023)
'Reimagining the Cloud'
Oredev (2023)
'Non-Fungible Plants'
Falling Walls (2022)
'Storing data in plants'
Brave New World (2022)
'Regenerative data'
Biennale Warsaw (2022)
'Grow Your Own DAO'
Maddy Keynote (2021)
'Can data be ecological?'
Ars Electronica (2021)
'Technology and life'
World Economic Forum (2020)
'SDG Live'
COP 25 (2019)
'Grow Your Own Cloud'
The Conference (2019)
'Playing with Biology'
Design AM (2019)
'Radical Technologies'
IAM (2019)
'Grow Your Own Cloud'
Biennial Kochi (2018)
'The future of Indian Architecture'
Contact me
If you would like to speak to me regarding curation, collaborations, consulting, workshop facilitation, or anything else, please contact me at:
© Cyrus Clarke 2024
© Cyrus Clarke 2024