Biography
Mina Zarfsaz (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Design at Rowan University. She serves as the Graphic Design program coordinator and co-director of the Institute for Innovative Media, Materials & Design (IMMaD).
As a trans-disciplinary artist, designer and system-thinker, Zarfsaz pursues a socially-minded creative practice and research agenda at the intersection of technology, and humanities. In her practice, Zarfsaz employs cross-disciplinary methods to examine the intricate interactions between animate and inanimate beings, forming a multi-species collaboration framework on micro, meso, and macro scales. Her work advocates for relatability and humility as conditions for preserving harmony in our collective survival. Recurring themes including Social Design and Behavioral Ecology serve as both forms of inquiry and catalysts for social change in her research.
Zarfsaz' work has been showcased at Esther Klein Gallery (Philadelphia,) Magnan Metz Gallery (Chelsea NYC,) Azad Gallery (Tehran,) Icebox Project Space (Philadelphia,) Vox Populi Gallery (Philadelphia,) Window on Broad of Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery (Philadelphia,) amongst others. Her work is featured in Adjacent (NYU's ITP Journal,) Philadelphia Inquirer, the ArtBlog, Title Magazine, NY Arts Magazine, and more. She is awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Icebox Project Space, Asian Arts Initiative, and most recently at the University City Science Center collaborating with the scientists at the bio-tech company, Integral Molecular. Zarfsaz was nominated for the prestigious Knight Art + Tech Fellowship in 2021 and 2023.
Zarfsaz thrives in nature and is fascinated by outer space.
Research Interests
Speculative Design, Integrated Design, Empathic/Social Design, Enactive/Exploratory Perception, Interactivity and Action in Perception, Participatory Design, Generative Design & Data Interpretation, Language and Play, Poetics of Space, Worldmaking/XRealities, Physical Immersion/Augmentation, Kinetics, Designing for/with Environments…
