Indiana University

Nymphaea

finalist project

Jesse Kogge, Carina Wang, Toryn White

Nymphaea is a floating bio-lamp that reveals hidden water acidity by changing color to reflect real-time pH fluctuations in local waterways. Using natural anthocyanin pigments from red cabbage, it visibly reacts to water’s chemical composition. By turning invisible environmental data into a tangible sensory experience, Nymphaea highlights unseen ecological shifts, fostering a deeper emotional connection between people and their environment. Mindfully crafted with natural biomaterials, it exemplifies functional biodesign that encourages moving away from extractive methods toward relational, nature-inspired design approaches, promoting ecological awareness and stewardship.

Maxwell Fertik is an artist, designer and educator. His research interests are situated at the intersection of post-industrial ecologies, emerging futures and existential risk. His work seeks to entangle art, design and critical theory within the context of diminishing resources and increasing levels of inequity. Before joining the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, he taught studio courses that engaged these concepts through biomaterials, furniture and artifacts. His courses recognize material processes and rapid prototyping as ways to create subversive languages of object and representation.