Close Menu

ABOUT NEXT NATURE ACADEMY

Mathilde Rougier - Modular Augmented Capsule (2020)

We’d like to take you on a journey that will radically alter your perspective on the future.

Join us as we navigate our future together.

Imagine a world where nature and technology have a mutually beneficial relationship. A future where nature and technology are in symbiosis.

A new era in which we live sustainably and exist equally with all species. A future where we take on complex challenges in collaboration with different sources of knowledge, to find alternative solutions for the planetary whole.

It's not science fiction, it's next nature.

What if we moved forward to the future and dared to look ahead to a brighter tomorrow? To collectively investigate our future with openness and optimism. In which nature is a dynamic element and technology co-determines evolution.

The Next Nature Academy invites you. Together we will build the future.

What kind of futures do you want?

Next Nature Academy offers the philosophy, tools and methods that will inspire a paradigm shift within your organization. We help you to dream, build and live in a future where nature and technology are fusing. What impact can you make for a liveable Earth for all species? How can you, your team, organization, or students contribute? With in-depth programs alongside our exhibitions, projects and talks, we make te step from wonder to change.

Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth is populated by many species. Together, we form life on spaceship Earth. Yet, humanity's impact on our planet cannot be underestimated, ‘we were here’ echoes all over.  Climate change, artificial biology and our ever growing cities – these present us with complex challenges. If we want a habitable planet for all species, we must see ourselves as part of a crew. No longer just as passengers, but as human beings who have the ability to set a new path. Together we chart a path for the future that’s desirable for humanity and for the planet as a whole.

Next Nature Academy. Join the crew on spaceship Earth.

The nature of the future

We are so surrounded by technology, that it becomes second nature to us; our next nature. We share a richer understanding of nature and spread awareness and knowledge about the changing relationship between humans, nature and technology. We explore the nature of the future. Through tangible experiences, we stir debate on the impact of technology on our lives and on planet Earth.

With our projects, exhibitions and lectures we sketch possible futures in which all life on Earth thrives. We offer fresh perspectives for organizations who don't want to go back, but forward to nature. Evolution goes on. We want to save not only the panda and the rainforest, but humanity as well. We work towards a happy relationship between biology and technology, so that all species may live in perfect symbiosis.

Barret Lyon, The Opte Project (2003)

'At Next Nature Academy we learn by exploring, experiencing, engaging and evolving.'

Life on Earth is constantly evolving. Life grows and adapts in constant interaction with the environment. Next Nature learning is based on the belief that nature and technology develop in the same way. That they evolve together and this collaboration determines how things grow. They are interconnected with each other and everything.

The common thread running through the Next Nature Academy learning programs is the question: 'what futures do we hope for?'

Building blocks for innovation

Next Nature does not focus on only humans, but nature as a whole. The programs are investigative, creative and hopeful. For everyone who wants to contribute towards a desired future; from primary school students to bank managers. We provide the building blocks to inspire creative thinking about societal challenges, such as climate change, food systems and robotization. With playful programs that appeal to the imagination, we investigate how we can tackle these challenges together. Next Nature Academy motivates change by thinking with design and innovative solutions.

Next Nature learning is a discovery

In our programs we work design-based, we learn by doing; testing, experimenting and designing. Dialogue and reflection are an important part of the learning methodology. Design-based learning is the ideal method to find solutions to complex problems, creating valuable new ideas, products or services.

Learning from Nature

We learn from nature. Our programs are richly layered and dynamic. Playful and without prejudice. Always in interaction with the environment. Our learning methods continue to evolve and we think big; we look beyond just one generation.

Together for a better world

The Next Nature Academy programs dare you to be different, to think outside the box. We highlight misconceptions and ingrained thinking patterns that are no longer sustainable for life on Earth. Can you put yourself in the position of the other living being? From your neighbor to the woodland forest. What questions arise? We offer you the tools and methods - creative learning programs, expos, online classes, games, VR tools - to explore possible futures and work together for a better world.

IJburg College
Gina Sanches
''Where in traditional education you often have to be quiet during the lessons, this is not possible in the workshops of Next Nature. It is special to see how enthusiastic students become about the art projects of Next Nature, what art can do and mean for them and the world in which they live."
Fontys
Wim van Dooren
''The collaboration with the Academy was very enjoyable. It went smoothly from first contact to invoicing. The lines were short, we were able to switch quickly and they did what they promised.”
Time Bank the Game
Amy Cheung
"Next Nature Academy has enlightened us so much in conceptualizing our environmental game design by sharing their knowledge and related projects with us. All our participants from professors to students, from ecologists to journalists loved the inspirational sharing, and I don't think we can get so far and reach this level of ‘ecological intelligence’ without their stimulating input and guidance’. The Next Nature Academy facilitators are the BEST!"
STRP
Shirley Hendrikse
“In our collaboration with Next Nature Academy, we developed an educational program in which we sent hundreds of young people billions of years ahead into the future. Almost without exception, students found this an intense and special experience. They discovered that everything that is typical now, does not have to be so in the future. I also found time travel a very unique experience. Not only did I look forward to seeing what the world and the universe might look like, it also made me think about how we humans will look and be. It was a fascinating expedition focused on the environment and myself.”

Collaboration and
co-creation

Next Nature Academy aims to learn and create together with others. We like to work with people and organizations who are also curious about possible futures in which nature and technology merge. In co-creation, across disciplines.

For various projects and programs we work together with parties such as Broad Talent Development Brainport Eindhoven, the Mokum Maak Coalitie, STRP Eindhoven and ArtechLab Amsterdam (Breitner Academy).

Want to collaborate? Do not hesitate and send us a message to explore possibilities.

What your question/request is about?