His practice is multidisciplinary, often engaging in collaborations with experts and technologists. He specialises in worldbuilding and speculative design, working on two broad areas of practice: New Dark Aesthetics, an investigation into how species such as bats have been portrayed in Western popular culture, with a focus on cinema and videogames; and Spectral Archive, an evergrowing archive of events that never happened: unfulfilled promises, forgotten histories, lies, dreams for a better world that never came to be…
Works are expressed through a combination of digital and physical media, including sculptural artefacts produced with digital fabrication technologies, alongside animation, film, sound, and interactive media. The aim is to create installations that invite visitors to engage actively and critically with the narratives and issues presented.
Prix Ars Electronica, Austria 2024
YouFab Global Creative Awards, Japan 2020
On Media, on Technology, on Life.
Chapter title: Malleable Bodies - Life Beyond Utilitarianism.
River Publishers. Switzerland 2021
AC Response Fund, U.K. 2020
Are we loosing our minds? Peer-reviewd article presented at UD15, University of Porto. Portugal 2015
Welcome Collection, U.K. 2015
Royal College of Art MA Dissertation thesis awarded with distinction, U.K. 2015
Welcome Collection, U.K. 2014
Winner - IPM Award, U.K. 2013
2023 - present : University College London, The Bartlett School of Architecture - Cinematic and Gaming Architecture (Lecturer)
2022 - present : Royal College of Art, School of Communication - Information Experience Design (Tutor & Researcher)
2021: London College of Communication - User Experience Design (Visiting lecturer)
2019-2020: University of the Arts London - Camberwell, London.
2021 : University of Applied Arts Vienna - Design Investigations (guest lecturer)
2021: London College of Communication - User Experience Design (Visiting lecturer)
2019-2020: University of the Arts London - Camberwell, London.
2020: Kingston School of Art, London.
2020: AA School of Architecture, London.
2018-2019: Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto.
Studies
2013-2015 - MA Design Interactions, Royal College of Art, London UK (distinction)
2004-2008 - BA Design, University of Aveiro, Portugal
2001-2004 - BA Restoration & Conservation, Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal
Industry
2013-Present (self-employed): design research, UX/UI, art direction, moving image and illustration. Clients include Superflux, RadicalxChange, King’s College London, Science Gallery London, Shrinking Space, Sugru, Elvie, Fire1: Norm, and Amber Therapeutics.
2015-2018: Senior UX/UI designer and art director at Elvie, London.
2011-2013: digital designer and art director at Haygarth, London.
2008-2010: digital designer and art director at W20, Lisbon.
2007: digital designer at The Fingers, Barcelona.
Arquivista AI: I Want a President at Ars Electronica, Austria 2024.
Arquivista AI: Anthology of Franciscos Francos (sculptor) at INDEX of Art and Technology, Portugal 2024.
Arquivista AI: Anthology of Franciscos Francos (sculptor) at Tua-Tiu-Tiann International Festival of Arts (TTTIFA), Taiwan 2022.
Arquivista AI: Anthology of Franciscos Francos (sculptor) at Henrique and Francisco Franco Museum. Portugal, Madeira Island March 2022 - June 2022
The Infumis: A Post-Apocalyptic Breakfast at Galeria dos Prazeres. Portugal, Madeira Island November 2020 - March 2021
Repositorium at Porto Planetarium. Portugal, Porto October 2020
The Museum of Lost and Found Potential. U.K., London October 2019
Authentic Fictions: Speculative Futures for 2.5D Printing DLab Tokyo Gallery. Japan, Tokyo June - October 2019
Plumial Space. Exhibition at Arcade East, London College of Fashion. U.K., London September 2018
The Infumis: screening at The Design Museum - Objects of Desire. U.K., March 2018
Sleeping Function - Work Song no.1. commission for designers Noam Toran & Marloes Ten Böhmer . Exhibition at the Zuiderzee Museum. Netherlands, Enkhuizen 2017
Project Doomsday: The Supervolacano & The Intelligent Machine exhibition performance at New Scientist Live. Collaboration with arts collective Shrinking Space . U.K., London September 2016
Night school on Anarres – Imaginings of an anarchist utopia at Somerset House. Collaboration with artists Noam Toran & Onkar Kular. U.K., London August 2016
Here, There and Everywhere: Eurasian Cities. Asia Culture Centre, Gwangju - South Korea. Seoul November 2015 - July 2016
Bio-art Seoul 2015: Abundance of Life at Gwacheon National Science Museum. South Korea, Seoul 2015
Royal College of Art Show. U.K., London 2015
5D Science of Fiction - USC Cinematic Arts. U.S.A., Los Angeles 2014
Buy, buy, buy, put it down at London Design Festival. U.K., London 2014
Swiss Pavillion’s School of Tomorrow at Venice Biennale. Italy, Venice 2014
Residencies (selection)
Design Associate Resident at Kyoto Institute of Technology. Japan, Kyoto 2018/2019
Fashion Space Gallery Resident at London College of Fashion. U.K., London 2018
Workshops (selection)
Jonbar Hinges: Points of Divergence. Online workshop for IED students at the Royal College of Art. U.K., London 2022.
Embracing Otherness: Bats. Public workshop on worldbuilding and bats, at Orleans House Gallery. U.K., London 2022
Arquivista AI: Old Lady’s Head. Workshop delivered to students from Francisco Franco Secondary School and the University of Madeira. Portugal, Madeira Island 2021
3D Animation: Imaginary Landscapes. Online workshop for Store Projects. U.K., London 2020.
Magic Zoom workshop at Kyoto Institute of Technology. Japan, Kyoto 2018
Positive Failure, workshop delivers to students at Kyoto Institute of Technology. Japan, Kyoto 2018
A Toolkit for the Future: Body Ecosystem. Public workshop in partnership with the V&A. London College of Fashion. U.K., London 2018
Body Ecosystem workshop with students at London College of Fashion. U.K., London 2018
Quasi-Souvenir workshop at Arquivo 237. Portugal, Lisbon 2017
Night School on Anarres, workshop at Somerset House. U.K., London 2016