David Amadeus Vroegindeweij
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
As a designer you are inextricably linked to yourself as a human being. your past shapes your perspective, and your perspective shapes the choices that you make that influences your future.
I was born in the Netherlands, in a city called Harderwijk on a hot sweltering summer afternoon. I moved around this country several times during my childhood being exposed to different environments, cultures, people, and ways of living. Instilling a broader perspective that was not often shared by others.
My family consists of musicians, artists, theologians, bankers and architects. Through talking and learning from them I have developed a strong sense of beauty, musical coordination, philosophical thinking, practical thinking and most importantly finding ways to express myself.
Culture was always praised as one of the virtues in life and society in my upbringing. An artists look upon the world that allowed the human soul to find its place. An integral part of any culture is its relation towards nature. The awareness of the necessity of calm and peace that a human gains when relating to nature is primal and unparalleled. This belief in the necessity of nature and culture are values I have from my parents which I want to thank them for.
This broader perspective that was instilled in conjunction with the realization of the primordial need of nature's presence in our lives is a unique perspective that I have. Why do we move ourselves away from the cauldrons of life that created us? Why are we hermetically sealing and ordering all other life around us like tyrants? These questions that unveil the complexity of the world with its intricate balances is something that drives me. It is about creating connections not only between humans, depolarizing society, but also with non-humans. Seeing a potential for these connections to strengthen each other.
This is a challenge that is large and intimidating when faced with the machine that society has become these days. When someone faces adversity they have two choices, to fight or flight. I am a fighter, a go-getter if you will. When I do something I do it well. and that is a rule I live by.
Through this quality plus my social complexion, I am a compassionate and hardworking teammate who listens well to others, this is why I usually take on a role of leadership within the design process.
VISION
In the past I was focussed on challenging the fear of change that kept people apart. Creating bridges between human perception through experiences. Letting them drift together on a narrative that would create awareness and respect for each other's positions.
I now see that this equation of polarization is not restricted to merely humans. It encompasses all that are affected by the choices of tyrannical human intervention. Humans do not yet see the disastrous effect that our seperation of nature and society has brought us. Multispecies living is a necessity for all life, including humans. But this necessity has been thwarted by the power hungry, capitalistic, explorative and ignorance of humankind.
Therefore I now see a necessity to once again be an advocate for change in the face of fear. Being a bridge between not only humans but also non-humans. Creating consideration between, and for, all of them alike.
I will do this through exploring the relations between humans and non-humans that are already existent, and seek out ones that could be. Integrating these relations into the living and working environment of humans. Creating a sense of entanglement and awareness for more-than-humans.
I now have a narrative that I want to communicate through immersive experiences that can range from installation to in time living environments or experiential ecosystems within cities. The scope is large, and so is the message. Seeing a need for worlds to come together again to cohabit and thrive on this green planet that is earth.
These practices, habits if you will, will foster a sense of respect for humans and their environment letting them consider the sentience and agency of other living matter. This shift in thinking that moves away from anthropocentrism will hopefully influence decisions made on a global scale that will create a brighter and better future for all species.
Next steps
To further evolve my vision, I have been in conversation with Oscar Tomico Plasencia. From those conversations, I gained the insight that to move forward, I need to look for projects to execute my vision. Making that which is now living inside my head. To support this process, he gave me a literature list which I will be reading next year. One project I want to pick up this summer is an autoethnographic study during my travels through South America to broaden and deepen my perspective on the integration of nature in culture.
