Year 4 Project

A Bloom Of Shared Life

Bloom begins unbloomed, it’s made of different textured materials and lightly infused with lavender. Bloom travels from person to person, becoming more worn with each user, gathering subtle scents and traces of the lives it touches. For those who struggle with social anxiety or connection, it offers a quieter way to share life. When you lift it to your face, you can smell the infused lavender, but you also breathe in a blend of familiarity, newness, and microbial germs, a reminder that others had it before you, others that also struggle. The different textures allow it to have a nicer touch on your skin for different preferences. Over time, through simple human handling, the bloom naturally opens. So, it is shaped quietly and beautifully by everyone who held it before you. A share of our microbial germs.

This project invited us to imagine future possibilities and design something that could contribute to a more equitable world. As part of Creating Future Ecosystems, my group explored how microbiomes could be used to support people’s wellbeing and improve everyday life. My individual response to the brief is called Bloom, a concept developed around care, connection, and personal wellbeing.