Alma Moga’s “Biophilic Futures” - 2025 Finalist

Alma Moga’s “Biophilic Futures” 
Painting: Traditional Ink, Digital Color 
Ann Arbor, MI 

For this painting I wanted to focus on the concept of Biophilic design. Not only is it more ecologically friendly than our current concrete landscapes, but it also represents a willingness to listen to and learn from the environment around us. Biophilic design focuses on creating structures that mimic and become a living part of the environment they preside in. I was inspired by more recent Biophilic projects such as the Genetic Barcelona Project (centering bioluminescent natural lighting), and the Eastgate center in Zimbabwe (structured like a termite mound for airflow), as well as older practices that utilize our 2 of 2 natural environment, like the Meghalaya living root bridges. I also added aspects of renewable solar and wind energy sources within the piece to create a peaceful future where humans go back to living in symbiosis with the cycles of the environment around us. We are a part of this planet’s ecological system and our current separation from it in our urban environments is dangerous. Our health is the health of our planet. The western idea of progress and its idea of conquering nature is inherently suffocating. The sickly, rusting border of my painting highlights the unsustainability of our current practices and what we must overcome to achieve a healthier future. This piece attempts to explore what that future could look like if we go back to living in harmony with our natural world.