Designers in Residence 2020 Care
Forest Empathy: Understanding the Perspectives of Trees | Members and Patrons
How can design help build empathy between humans and trees?
Finnish designer and artist based in London, Enni-Kukka Tuomala’s work aims to challenge perceptions of empathy from an individual feeling to collective power and understand its role in our daily lives. With a focus on the urgent need for humans to rethink their relationship with the natural world, Enni’s residency project explores empathy between humans and trees. She has directed a film and photographic essay revealing the personalities and perspectives of forests, alongside a new 'Empathy Ecosystem' tracing the role of empathy in human and non-human life, and a 'Tree Tour' of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea that invites visitors to connect with urban forests in London.
exclusive q&A
What are the origins of your interest in the theme of ‘Care’? What fascinates you most about this theme and its relationship with design?
the Design Museum
My vision is to transform empathy from an individual feeling to a collective and radical power for social change. Care is a vital component of this. In order to fight the growing global empathy deficit, we need both more caring practices within design, and more care embedded in the designs we create. My ‘Design for Empathy’ methodology aims to tackle this by turning empathy from an ingredient in the design process, to the outcome of design. I am interested in how we as designers can be more than empathisers, and become catalysts for empathy in others.
Enni-Kukka Tuomala
How does your project for the ‘Designers in Residence’ programme relate to care? Can you talk us through the project briefly?
the Design Museum
My project Forest Empathy takes a systemic approach to examining the role of empathy in all relationships and interactions that define human and non-human life. For years my work has focused on interpersonal empathy, empathy between humans. Through the residency I have expanded beyond this for the first time to research empathy between humans and non-humans. For our exhibition I explored the human relationship with trees to find ways to rebuild our damaged relationship by better understanding the perspectives of forests. Trees are vital to human life, but are we able to see the world through their experiences?
Enni-Kukka Tuomala
How will you build on this work in the future? As a designer, will you continue to explore this theme? What are your upcoming plans?
the Design Museum
The residency has given me the opportunity to evolve my practice and expand my mission to tackle the empathy deficit between us and our natural environment. The Empathy Ecosystem, the new design system for empathy, I have designed will be an important framework for my work for years to come with further areas to be investigated and researched. Empathy is and will continue to be at the core of my practice. It feels more vital than ever as we re-design physical connection and re-entry into public life. I now am looking forward to representing Finland at the London Design Biennale 2021 at Somerset House in June, with an installation called the “Empathy Echo Chamber”.
Enni-Kukka Tuomala
How has the pandemic affected your practice? What is your 'work from home' set up?
the Design Museum
Before the pandemic my practice was centered around physical installations and experiences. Most of my empathy work is realised in collaboration with other practitioners, participants, organisations or communities and I am used to working closely with people. Now all these collaborations, and conversations and connections take place remotely and digitally. I still believe in the importance of coming together when we can, and have recently opened my first Empathy HQ in Bow, London. The Empathy HQ is a new creative space, acting both as my working art studio, as well as an open community space for local people.
Enni-Kukka Tuomala
related event
Showcase
Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about new exhibitions, events, courses, access tours and more.