Eric Reiman

Professional Background

As a visual artist / designer, I worked in art and design education (including ArtEZ and the HvA) for many years.

Sometime around 2007, I was given the opportunity to experiment with an interdisciplinary program in which design methodology and strategy were applied in the context of societal issues. What was then plowing in uncharted territory has today gained widespread acceptance; design methods, known as Human-Centered Design among others, can bring about a shift in perspective within organizations that leads to a more sustainable positioning in the societal landscape.

A recent variant is Life-Centered Design, a shift from an anthropocentric worldview to one that takes an inclusive view of planetary ecosystems. What intrigues me about this is how we can learn from nature, and how ecosystems behave as a design process. An ecosystem is a continuous process of becoming, in which the actors—in mutual interdependence—make connections and generate patterns that benefit the system and drive its evolution. The energy arises in the in-between space, in the shaping of the relationships that the actors enter into with one another. From this inspiration, we can design forms of living together: not only conceive, but imagine and create with all our sensory and physical faculties.

As a design principle here, I apply being connected – connecting: being meaningfully present in order to act with a positive impact on the world.