Hello
Biography
Cyrus Clarke is a designer, artist and technologist with a background in economics and digital technologies. He is passionate about reforming human–nonhuman relationships by establishing new models of cooperation between human beings, living systems and inanimate technologies. Looking to the natural world for inspiration, he seeks to promote futures rooted in biological wisdom, through a deep partnership with nature. He asks unconventional questions to develop works that offer a poetic perspective.
His focus lies on shifting notions of nature and technology through the creation of creative work, ranging from film, mixed-media installations, fictions, live experiences and genetic software. 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 and Nominations
Science Breakthrough of the Year, Falling Walls
Art & Science (2022)
EU Starts Prize, Honorary Mention
Data Garden (2021)
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)
UN Summer of Solutions
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
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 positions himself as a link between techno-scientific communities, organizations and the wider public, to help bridge between potential futures and today, in order to inspire technological developments that enhance value, equity, justice, and the environment. To do so he 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 and start-up exploring the future of plant-based data storage through DNA data 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, speaking opportunities, workshop facilitation, or anything else, please contact me at:
Social
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
Artist Statement and Biography
Cyrus Clarke is a designer, artist and futurist with a background in economics and digital technologies. He is passionate about reforming human–nonhuman relationships by establishing new models of cooperation between human beings, living systems and inanimate technologies. Looking to the natural world for inspiration, he seeks to promote futures rooted in biological wisdom, through a deep partnership with nature, towards the strange and uncanny.
His focus lies on shifting notions of nature and technology through the creation of artistic pieces ranging from film, mixed-media installations, fictions, live experiences and genetic software. 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.
Education
MA Interaction Design (2016)
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
BA Hons Economics (2009)
University of Nottingham
Selected Awards and Nominations
UN Summer of Solutions (2019)
Prix Bloxhub (2019)
Interaction Awards (2017, 2019, 2019)
Core77 Awards (2018)
Approach and Experience
Cyrus positions himself as a link between techno-scientific communities, organizations and the wider public, to help bridge between potential futures and today, in order to inspire technological developments that enhance value, equity, justice, and the environment. To do so he works in an interdisciplinary manner, blending speculative elements such as fictions, storytelling and various design futures approaches, with material applications of emerging technologies such as machine learning, blockchain, and biotechnology.
He has employed this approach founding and creating various ventures including the award-winning educational game What The Block, biological design initiative Grow Your Own Cloud, and fact-checking service SIFT. He is also the former Digital Innovation Lead at L’Oreal Global.
As an independent creative and futurist, 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
EU Horizon 2020
IKEA
World Expo 2020
L'Oreal
Tellart
Channel 4
Initiatives Founded
What the Block
(2018 - Ongoing)
Grow Your Own Cloud
(2017 - Ongoing)
SIFT
(2017 - 2018)
Exhibits and Recognition
His creative work has been recognised and exhibited internationally, most notably SXSW, World Economic Forum, Bio26 - 26th Biennial of Design Ljubljana, as well as solo shows in the United States and Denmark.
He is grateful to be the recipient of many international awards including Interaction Awards, Core77, BloxHub and the UN Summer of Solutions. His work has been published by Motherboard, La Stampa and Der Spiegel.
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
The Data Garden (2020)
SXSW, Catch and Roskilde Festival
Bodies of Knowledge (2019)
Bio26, Design Biennial Ljublijana
Grow Your Own Cloud (2019)
Primer19, NYC
#sad (2018)
Richmond Gallery, WA
Teaching and Workshops
Designing with Blockchain
CIID (2018, 2019)
Biological Data Storage
ITP Camp (2019)
What The Block
Ongoing series of workshops
Designing with Biology
KADK (2017)
Selected Talks
World Economic Forum (2020)
'SDG Live' (panel)
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)
Contact me
If you would like to speak to me about creative collaborations, imaginative initiatives, speaking opportunities, workshop facilitation, or anything else, please contact me at:
Social