Born in Mumbai in 1989, Pollyanna Moss is an Indian-Dutch artist and designer based inEindhoven. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Design Academy Eindhoven (2020), where she studied in the school’s Well-Being program under Ilse Crawford.
Moss’s practice delves into complex systems through the lens of personal narrative. Her methodology uses interviews and observations as a framework for combining found media, crafts, and materials to illustrate the often overlooked, yet highly resonant personal layers that exist within defined social structures. In her efforts to tell a variety of stories through design,Moss has to date collaborated with birdwatchers, nature managers, farmers, ecologists, and others to explore the bonds between humans and non-humans alike.
“This experience was inspiring on so many levels. I come away with a strong sense of community, grateful for the chance to spend time with talented people at different stages of their practices—fellows, mentors, and experts. It was an important reminder that there are so many ways to approach design—and design and nature in particular. There’s never just one way of doing things.”
Moss’s thesis project, Landschaap, is an excellent example of her narrative-driven approach.The project aimed to celebrate the largely undervalued role that shepherds play in maintaining the biodiversity of the landscape and the wellbeing of their flocks while also preserving culture.Following interviews and observations, Moss created five blankets made of the wool of five breeds of sheep, each one an intimate portrait of a Dutch shepherd and their relationship to the flock and countryside they inhabit. Landschaap reconnects Dutch domestic space to the landscape through material and experiences of the actors who shape it. The project was exhibited during Milan Design Week 2021 at the DAE’s Graduation Show.
Pollyanna Moss
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