→ Giving form to what has disappeared
What happens when a species disappears twice — first from the natural world, and then from human memory? Bodies of Flora explores this question by reconstructing extinct New Jersey plants through artificial intelligence, archival research, and speculative design.

Led by Professor Sue Huang as a Rutgers–New Brunswick Laureate project, the work brings together historical botanical records, emerging technology, and visual storytelling to imagine new ways of remembering lost species. As a research assistant and MFA collaborator, I contributed to the project's visual identity, typography, research, and evolving digital experience.

→​​​​​​​ Challenge: Designing for absence

How can a visual identity represent something that no longer exists? The challenge was to develop a visual language that connects historical botanical documentation with contemporary digital experimentation, while preserving the intimacy and material character of the original archives.
Rather than creating a conventional botanical identity, I approached the design as an extension of the project's research: a system in which historical traces become contemporary visual material.
→ Research: Finding identity in the archive

Working directly with preserved specimens from the Chrysler Herbarium, I examined the visual language of botanical records, including handwritten labels, historical manuscripts, marking stamps, and archival fragments. My research also extended to the physical, material, and architectural elements of the herbarium and greenhouse, exploring the geometric grids of the greenhouse interior, its spatial organization, and the textures and structures of cardboard-like panels, metal grids, and concrete blocks. The handwriting of botanist William H. Witte became a particularly meaningful source. His letterforms carried both scientific information and a distinctly human presence, offering a way to connect the project's contemporary identity to its historical origins.
→ Design Process: From handwriting to visual system
I extracted individual letterforms from Witte's handwritten records and translated them into a custom digital typeface. The process involved studying the structure and irregularities of the original script. The typeface became a central element of the visual identity, allowing archival handwriting to move beyond the specimen label and into a contemporary design system.
Alongside the visual system, I contributed to the project's developing website, drawing inspiration from David Hockney's photographic collages. His approach to fragmented composition and multiple perspectives became a way to reflect the process of tracing a plant's history, which often involves piecing together scattered records, specimens, locations, and moments in time. Through layered imagery and nonlinear visual storytelling, the website translates this process of discovery into a visual experience, where individual fragments gradually form a larger narrative.
→ Outcome: An Archive Brought into the Present
The resulting visual identity brings together historical research, contemporary typography, and experimental image-making, translating archival materials into a cohesive visual language. The custom typeface extends across project materials, establishing a recognizable connection between the historical sources and the project's contemporary presentation.
"Bodies of Flora" culminated in an exhibition at Mana Contemporary in May 2026, presented by Sue Huang, bringing the research into a physical space where archival histories and contemporary interpretations could be experienced together.
→ Reflection: Design as a Form of Remembering
This project expanded my understanding of identity design beyond conventional branding. It demonstrated how typography and visual system can serve not only as functional communication tools but also as forms of cultural preservation.
By translating historical materials, architectural grids, and spatial structures into a contemporary visual language, I explored how design can make research more accessible while preserving its complexity, uncertainty, and emotional significance.
Supported by the Rutgers–New Brunswick Laureate Award from the Office of the Provost.
Exhibition: In Care of Unfinished Places, JAB Fair 2026, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
Talk: Bodies of Flora: In Conversation, Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, NJ
Concept, Writing, Direction
Sue Huang
Sound Design (Performance)
Lee Tusman
Script Editing
Daniel Grushkin
Graduate Research Assistants
Asem Kiyalova - Research, Web Design, Type Design
Anukriti Kaushik - Research, Fabrication, 3D Modeling
Kundan Reddy - Programming
Web Development
Ken Amarit
3D Environment Design
Pariah Interactive
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