Everything we design expresses a relationship with the environments we inhabit. Today, designers increasingly recognise that objects influence not only human life, but also the ecosystems and species around them. This workshop explores how design can engage more closely with the rhythms of the natural world, embracing a more-than-human perspective.

Led by Johanna Seelemann, the workshop takes inspiration from subtle ecological shifts that occur throughout the year—such as the arrival of certain birds, the blooming of plants or the appearance of insects. In some traditional East Asian calendars, the year is divided into 72 short seasonal phases (kō), each lasting only a few days and marked by specific natural phenomena. These reveal that landscapes regenerate and decompose through rhythms far more subtle than the broad framework of our four conventional seasons. The workshop takes place when the summer heat begins to soften and the first signs of late summer emerge.

Participants will observe the ecological conditions unfolding during the workshop and use them as a starting point for design. Through walks, observation and material collection across the Domaine, they will develop small-scale objects and interventions responding to this specific moment in the environment. These may take the form of everyday tools, seasonal goods or temporary devices that mediate interactions between humans and other species.

Working with materials foraged on site, participants will experiment with techniques such as assembling, weaving and layering. The aim is to create objects that exist within cycles of use, decay and renewal, reflecting the living rhythms of the landscape. Making becomes a free, abundant and ongoing process—an act of participation rather than extraction.