Listening Towards an Ecological Self (2022 - 2024)
Listening Towards an Ecological Self explored how design principles from embodied cognition can cultivate connectedness in young adults navigating hybrid digital-physical realities. Developed through transdisciplinary collaboration between psychology, sound design, and the arts, the project unfolded as a custom-built immersive spatial sound environment, used in an interactive therapeutic experience called Listening Towards an Ecological Self. This spatial sound environment was also used in research on the interplay between urban sound scapes, biodiversity and mental wellbeing at Amsterdam Science Park in the project Sounding Urban Nature.
These experiments combined affective and cognitive dimensions -- cultivating awe, imagination, and reflection -- to support resilience and well-being. Alongside exhibitions, workshops, and contributions to the Transitionmakers Toolbox, the project generated both practical tools and theoretical insights, integrating frameworks from John Vervaeke, Iain McGilchrist, and Internal Family Systems therapy. Through this, the project laid foundations for rethinking the relationship between education, mental health, and urban design through practices that bridge inner experience with societal transformation.