We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hana Azab a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hana, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The Kinship Project, a catalyst for cultural evolution. Born of nine months of research & development on the possibility of ethical futures, and the blueprint for humanities transition from the Anthropocene – an era defined by human impact, to the Symbiocene – an era defined by harmony and symbiosis between nature, humanity, and technology.

After proposing a conversation series to gather diverse perspectives from the innovative and unequivocally creative scene in Los Angeles, where we would gather and discuss the futures we wanted to create to ensure justice and equity for future generations. Kinship was born as a response for the necessity for new stories, mythologies, otherwise known as cultural narratives to be born in an array of mediums & expressions of humanity.

Designed within a practice I coined “Artifacts of Future Archeology” – Kinship the Game became the first artifact, a card game that inspires us to see how others see the world and better understand our place within it. Since its inception the game has inspired a short film series “On Resampling Culture” and multiple forthcoming partnerships across media, technology, and education.

Hana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Driven by curiosity and grounded by observation, my life experiences—both personal and professional—have exposed me to a unique understanding of the underpinnings of society and culture. My journey began in Cairo, Egypt, where I was born and raised for 16 years before moving to university to study and complete a master’s in Civil Engineering by the age of 20.

This academic foundation allowed me to establish a systems mindset, unveiling the interconnectedness of infrastructure, ethics, design, technology, and culture. Working on large-scale data-center projects with clients such as Amazon, Microsoft, and military projects as a Civil Engineer informed my understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ultimately launched me towards becoming the Director of Operations & Innovation at an architecture firm. Here, I began exploring emerging technology in relation to the built environment.

This experience propelled me towards Spatial Labs, a company focused on the future of spatial computing, bridging the gap between digital and physical realms. Following my consultancy there, I began a master’s in Media Design Practices, where I bridge emerging technologies, critical frameworks, and experimental studio practices to participate in building a better tomorrow.

I have pledged this effort to be my life’s work, culminating in the establishment of the Kinship Project, which I hope to formally launch in 2025. In the meantime, you can find me working with the UCLA Department of Art & Science on their summer program, introducing students to the impact of bridging scientific methods with artistic processes to imagine the impossible. I also consult startups like the Usal Project, in an effort to connect community through nature, and design experiences with Tea @ Shiloh to cultivate new paths and mythologies for ethical futures.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For as long as I can remember, I have had an intrinsic desire and vision of a world defined by access and abundance. Intuitively, it felt obvious that this world was within reach and drove my sense of possibility.

As I have grown older, my understanding of systemic injustice and disparity has become more nuanced. The recognition that the prioritization of profit and power for the few undermines the potential for collective liberation for all has sharpened my belief and efforts towards realizing the inspiring and ethical world I know to be possible. Everything I work on and have contributed to has been an effort towards this vision.

Without hesitation, I can affirm that I will devote my life to this work and document/archive all my findings for generations to come. I work within a framework of indigenous wisdom: Design for the next seven generations, or 150 years. This sustainable and symbiotic practice acts as the fuel for my creative journey. Unrelenting, profound, imaginative, hopeful, and more than possible—it is imminent.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The most transformative resource I wish I had known about earlier in my creative journey is the power of putting yourself out there. This revelation has been a game-changer for me.

Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you—proactively seek them out. Knock on doors, even if proverbially through Instagram DMs, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Wait for nothing and believe in your vision. If your vision isn’t clear, find someone whose vision resonates with you and offer your skillset. By supporting others and their blueprints, you can realize ideas you never imagined possible.

One invaluable resource is Virgil Abloh’s Free Game website, a treasure trove of insights and practical advice for creatives. Additionally, the NOVA creative community has been a cornerstone of my journey. Through NOVA, I have found jobs, hired people, and built a network of creatives who have collaborated with me on passion projects, even when I lacked the financial resources to pay them. Passion and inspiration truly go a long way.

Explore platforms like Are.na to see how your ideas connect with others. Seek out fellowships and grants, and apply tirelessly. Invest in your well-being, as your creative output will naturally follow.

The greatest skill you can cultivate as a creative is your intuition. To access it more deeply, meditate, immerse yourself in nature, touch a rock, or hug a tree. It may sound simple, but within these acts lies profound wisdom. Before turning to intelligence, turn to nature. The evolution and wisdom you seek are embedded there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hazab.cargo.site
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hanaazab
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-azab/
• Twitter: https://x.com/_hanaazab

Image Credits

Images by Jaya Kang & Hana Azab.