OUR FOUNDERS:

Twin sisters Begum and Bike Ayaskan are co-founders of Aerseeds and Studio Ayaskan.

Following their Master’s Degree at the Royal College of Art, they founded Studio Ayaskan in 2016, a research-driven art & design studio exploring connections between nature,  time, objects and spaces. With a high-tech low-tech approach their keen interest in nature and technology led them to research ways nature can become a part of the design processes, leading them to develop pieces that incorporate spontaneity into their designs and concepts that incorporate nature into solutions that tackle environmental issues. When they saw the open call for Terra Carta Design Lab they immediately proposed Aerseeds,  a reforestation initiative that accelerates natural regeneration, forming the company Aerseeds in 2022 immediately after winning the competition. As a duo they believe that the best way to implement change comes from observing, loving and working with nature. CV

AERSEEDS STORY:

Our works have always been inspired by nature, its cycles and its ability to perform highly complex tasks with maximum efficiency. A few years back, we came up with the idea of Aerseeds on a plane ride from London to Istanbul. Looking at Earth from a higher vantage point, all of a sudden everything starts looking smaller, serene and manageable.

Almost telepathically we both started thinking of how great it would be if we could design a way to disperse seeds to the land, using the winds and aerodynamic forms, like the seeds of a maple tree. Nature often has very simple solutions to complex problems, the form of a seed changes its flight patterns and its ability to travel distances, so could Aerseeds.

The idea of accelerating natural regeneration and making Aerseeds out of food waste and food by-products came together a few years later when we were watching a documentary on soil and doing a more extensive research on reforestation for Terra Carta Design Lab competition. That was the missing link. With Aerseeds our aim was always to find ways to work with nature and create bigger impact with minimum intervention. We believe it’s very important for all of us to remember that we aren’t alone, our Earth is tirelessly trying to protect and mend itself and its ecosystem.