Netta Ofer
I am a design researcher exploring more-than-human design perspectives, mostly through the material and ethical qualities of living organisms. Through autobiographic design methods, bodily and movement practices, microscopy, digital fabrication, and digital art, I aim to expose entangled relations with nonhumans, human-centered assumptions, and fabulate and enact different ones. My background is in media studies, human-computer interaction (HCI), and interaction design from the Media Innovation Lab (milab) at Reichman University. I have published and demoed my research at ACM CHI, ACM DIS, and ACM IDC; and exhibited work at The Museum of Boulder and The Arvada Center.
I earned a PhD in Creative Technology & Design from The ATLAS Institute at University of Colorado Boulder.
I am on the academic job market!

Email: netta.ofer [at] colorado.edu
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Artist Statement
I investigate the hierarchical nature of human-nonhuman relationships, specifically living organisms. I use design research, embodied practices, and visual art for exposing anthropocentric contact zones and challenging narrow perspectives. From examining the surveillance in microscopic observation to designing embodied interactions with nonhuman organisms, I explore how human exceptionalism shapes the links between bodies and how we perceive them. My practice often relies on growing and tending to nonhuman organisms for surfacing points of connection and tension between our humanism, ourselves, and other agentic forces. These practices reveal what is in-becoming, overlooked, and uncertain in a world that is polarized and forced into categories.

Designing with Bioluminescent Algae



Designing Direct Interactions with Bioluminescent Algae explores direct interactions with Dinoflagellates, bioluminescent algae that produce light when exposed to oxygen through physical stimulation. This work takes an organism-centered design approach, considering the well-being of the organism by focusing first on designing appropriate environments for the organism, then proceeding to exploring the available interactions within these environments. The framework consists of four components (form, reception, feedback, and control) and can be used to guide designers in their design process with living matter. 

This work demonstrates a design process that prioritizes first and foremost the nonhuman’s well-being, behaviors, and thriving requirements. As part of a new paradigm of design works withing BioHCI and design research, this work encourages designers and researchers to gain a deep understanding of the agents involved in the design process, moving towards a posthuman, more-than-human design practice.

Full paper published at DIS 2021

Photo by Naharin Shech, 2021.