Researching futures was not something I initially envisioned. My academic journey began with a focus on indigenous and local communities, where I collaborated on projects aimed at revitalizing traditional practices and asserting cultural identity. However, I realized that revitalizing cultural practices is ultimately futile without space for alternative futures. The pervasive modern Western concept of a singular, inevitable "future" — “the one and only future” — effectively suppresses other possibilities, rendering them unintelligible or dismissing them as simply "traditions" trapped in the past. In this modern framework, traditions are often commodified – think of marketing handicrafts – to generate income that enables people to pursue the “one and only future.” This leaves no room for nurturing other forms of flourishing. While my initial concern was the detrimental impact of this “one and only future” on indigenous and local populations, I soon recognized its broader implications, understanding that it constrains all of us by limiting our imaginations and our capacity to recognize diverse possibilities and a spectrum of potential futures.

The world is much more malleable than we give it credit for. Any dream of how we can relate with the world is possible and Ii want people to know that. 

I envision the lab as a place that tells stories outside of the dominant paradigms and allows worldviews and thoughts not accepted in the modern canon a place in people’'s minds.

I long for a future shaped by justice, equity, and love, where our systems, values, and practices reflect the inherent dignity of all beings within the interconnected web of life.

It’s our responsibility to help bring that future to life. I believe our collaboration has three core components: examining what has constrained our imagination and ability to envision alternatives, committing to embodying parts of that future now, and passing on our learnings to others who share this vision.

Stories shape our perception of the world, and sound helps stories resonate. In a modern culture guided by myths that hinder our sustainability, we need to know there are more ways to live. As a sound designer for this lab, I want to help amplify stories outside of this paradigm—stories that challenge us to examine not only our lenses as we look, but our ears as we listen.

I believe in the possibility of designing for change.

Through visualizing, hearing, making, and learning, we can strive to make a meaningful difference—one that drives societal transformation toward plurality.

The Pluriversal Futures Design Lab is where I see these dedicated changes happen, and I want to contribute as a part of the story telling with images and words that communicate with the world.

In a time when it seems that war is happenstance, injustice and inequity is the norm, and propaganda is accepted as reality, it is crucial for knowledgeable actors to challenge and shift the oppressive systems that weigh down on humanity.

Design is a neutral tool and its facilitators decide its effect and outcome. My goal is to use this tool to create and improve the various worlds that we live in as individuals, in community, and within systems. Using the concept of pluriversality as a foundation, not only, for world-building, but for world understanding, I intend to aid in the development of new, paradigm-shifting frameworks of thinking for all.