Portfolio
A sample of recent works…
Lead image by Milica Prokic. The photograph depicts Scotland’s Cove Park, an artist residency embedded deep into the coastal region’s natural landscape.
Azure Magazine
More Than Human: How Can We Design for All Planetary Life?
Designers Zahra Ebrahim and Ariel Sim confront the limitations of human-centred design and explore the contours of a multispecies paradigm shift.
by Ariel Sim and Zahra Ebrahim
December 5, 2024
Picture the last time you were immersed in nature. If you close your eyes, maybe you can tap into what it looked like, sounded like, even how it smelled. In your mind’s eye, maybe this picture has you on a trail, surrounded by forest and brush, rocks covered in moss, and decomposing logs that were once majestic trees amidst the forest canopy. You may have even thought how nice it was to be alone, to have some quiet away from the frenetic rush of urban life. We escape into nature seeking solitude, and breathe a sigh of relief at the sense of peace we feel when there’s “nothing” around.
But the truth is that these natural worlds are metropolises in their own right, hubs of more than human life — where hundreds, sometimes thousands of species of flora and fauna are busily communicating with each other. They’re sharing news of changes in weather, passing resources through their networks and coordinating emergency responses to new pests, threats and toxins. They even share news of our approach, as we humans — unaware — wander their world.
Artwork credit: Alejandro Ospina
Decomposing as a social process
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The biological process of decomposition offers useful metaphors and mindsets for those engaged with social change and human rights. A recent article in Open Global Rights (OGR), curated by NYU School of Law.
Photo credit: Ariel Sim
Exploring “More Than Human-Centred Design & Facilitation” - Guest Lecture
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“Exploring More than Human-Centered Design and Facilitation Practices” is a guest lecture exploring questions like:
Moving beyond the human-centered approach, what are the sacred geometries we can work with to equalize power, create productive pressure, and release energy?
How can we welcome and work with all voices, human and more-than-human?
The lecture is intended to provoke us to the edges of the who and how of design and facilitation. Delivered to audiences including New York University’s Earth Rights Advocacy (ERA) Law Clinic and Seneca College’s Project Management for Planners and Technologies Program,
More Than Human (MOTH) Life Project
The More-Than-Human (MOTH) Life Project (www.mothrights.org) is is an interdisciplinary initiative advancing rights and well-being for humans, non-humans, and the web of life that sustains us all, based at NYU School of Law Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. I started collaborating with this team in 2021, participating as a designer & facilitator. In 2023-2024, I became the team’s first Human Rights & Regenerative Design Fellow. The following works were developed in collaboration with Elena Landinez, Wio Gualinga (Sarayaku Nation, Ecuador), and Tegwen McKenzie.
Future of Rights and Governance (FORGE)
Reimagining the future of rights & global governance, FORGE (www.forge-program.com) is a cross-disciplinary program exploring the works of scholars, artists, policy makers, philosophers, and scientists in an effort to forge new relationships and conditions for social change, environmental justice, and global governance. Hosted at New York University School of Law Center for Human Rights & Global Justice. I started working with this team in 2023, as the main program delivery agent. This included team coordination, advisory support to the 2024 Experiments for Change, and design & facilitation for the overarching program and related events. Design works developed in collaboration with artists Tegwen McKenzie and Elena Landinez.
Pilot Signal Inc.
A start-up project in the health industry. We developed and tested an early stage service, providing weekly reports of visualized health data combined with local weather, community, and cultural events to encourage more active lifestyles. I led on design research, visual identity, service design, and product design.
Artwork credit: @_drz_, Unsplash
Butterflies, not moonshots
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A “butterfly” is a flexible idea that can easily move around and adapt to different situations, spreading awareness and inspiring new actions. Just like real pollinators, butterflies are ideas and concepts that are designed to fertilize and generate a new wave of growth. Moving around all areas of a system, they regenerate themselves by leaving traces of an idea that can be adopted by the receiver. It’s hard to know an idea came from the pollinator; they are eventually lost in a sea of similar ideas.
Recognition Review
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Who, what, and how do we commemorate? The Recognition Review is an initiative led by the City of Toronto that examines how the City honours history in public spaces. As part of the Recognition Review, City Council adopted a new framework to guide how the City commemorates public figures and events in street names, place names, and monuments. In this time, I coordinated a cross-disciplinary team of facilitators, led the arts-based youth engagement and contributed writing, design & facilitation to the overarching effort.
Artwork credit: César Andrés Rodríguez
Constellations Toolkit
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A self-guided tool for social change agents to reflect, time travel, and co-create as individuals and communities. The toolkit's methodology is grounded in the idea that systems work in social change requires empathy and community. Through an experiential learning process, groups explore the systems of the past, present and future to cultivate a deeper sense of analysis, understanding, collaboration, and action. I authored one chapter of this toolkit and participated as a support facilitator.
Principles to Guide Action
01 — Strive to do work that feels like healing.
Both the process and outcomes.
02 — Work in communities of trust.
Through a shared focus on grace, integrity, authenticity, and courage.
03 — Support a new wave of leaders.
Because it’s time. Focus on women and BIPOC leaders.
04 — Say yes to sustainability, wellness, and social unity.
This is the mission, this is the goal.
Talks.
Exploring Activism and Advocacy: Why is it important in the Arts?
Art & Activism | FORGE 2023 | Q&A | Maïmouna Jallow, Ayisha Siddiqa and Ariel Sim
Seaweed King: Talkback about Art, Research Theatre & Climate Action | FORGE 2023 | Kevin A. Ormsby, Chris Walker, Mauricio Tafur Salgado and Ariel Sim
User Research & HCD with Ariel Sim
Human Centred Design with Ariel Sim
What if we could free our minds? TEDx Ottawa
The Future with Chris Do
Embracing the full web of life.
Both human and more-than-human.
Facilitation & design
Community-based participatory research
User research
UX design & design-thinking
Project management
Personal & organizational coaching
Multimedia production