University of New Mexico

PROJECTS 2025

Earthwomb

FINALIST project

Amanda Stormyr, Izzy Gurney, Brie Boehm-White, Eric Boehm-White

Earthwomb is a green burial practice paired with a digital interface for end-of-life planning. Its Bio Pod, a water-based hydrogel burial shroud, contains mycelium, native seeds, nutrient-rich fibers, and the body itself. The website allows users to choose their final resting place, select native seeds, and pick mycelium strains to aid decomposition. This process transforms the body into a source of ecological renewal, fostering new life and restoring local ecosystems. Earthwomb offers a personalized, regenerative approach to death, allowing individuals to create a meaningful ecological legacy through their burial choices.

Instructor 2025

Andrea Polli is a professor with appointments in the College of Fine Arts and School of Engineering at the University of New Mexico (UNM). She holds the Mesa Del Sol Endowed Chair of Digital Media and directs the Social Media Workgroup, a lab at the University's Center for Advanced Research Computing. As an educator, Polli has created student-centered professional development, theory, practice, and field-based courses and experiences for practicing artists, engineers, and makers.