Keio University Graduate School of Media Design

Risou

The terra prize for outstanding digital submission winner

Rosie Gibson, Liangying Claire Lin, Xuemin Lilia Lu, Bolor Narmandakh, Phyo Thaw Kaung, Yuehan Xu, Riku Inoue

Risou (理藻) turns to the sea amid climate change, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity, drawing on Japan’s deep cultural connection to seaweed. Instead of looking to other planets, Risou proposes symbiotic seaweed-based textiles that weave a living bond with Earth. Rooted in speculative design and material innovation, these textiles transcend garments, serving as indicators of ecological responsibility. They evolve with the wearer and reflect environmental impact—vibrant when duties are met, fraying when neglected. Risou makes human behavior and its consequences visible, embodying how our choices shape the natural world in every thread.

Symbioclean

non-FINALIST PROJECT

Vlad Malashenko, Ritika Michael

Symbioclean Canidifelis is a next-generation symbiotic macro-organism designed to reduce zoonotic pathogen risks from pets like cats and dogs, especially protecting vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. Engineered from DNA of the Demodex Mite and Tapeworm, it lives in pets’ stomachs and contains a modified Bacteroides Thetaiotaomicron that detects and eliminates harmful pathogens using adaptive enzymes. Symbioclean only survives within the pet’s digestive tract and dies upon excretion. This innovation envisions a future where pet ownership no longer poses microbial health risks, creating a safer environment for human families without compromise.

Matthew Waldman is best known as the founder of NOOKA – the lifestyle design brand brought the revolution of interface design to physical products and created unique timepieces that reinterpreted how time was told. Before NOOKA, Matthew gained recognition as a pioneer in digital interactive and UX design, founding New York Zoom in 1997, building an award winning global team at Reuters in 2002, and with his interactive design studios creates narrative driven design for brands. At KMD, Professor Waldman turns his focus to circular design with a focus on expanding the designer toolkit towards material science and bio-design.