Feral Loops: Circular Opportunities – Yafeng Gu
(He/Him)
This project focuses on the gorse found in the coastal village of Findhorn in the Scottish Highlands, treating it as a thorny, locally entangled material condition within the broader “Feral Futures” brief. Situated within dune-heath and coastal habitats, Gorse is not approached here simply as a problem plant or a decorative natural material, but as a species whose ecological, cultural and material identities are actively negotiated.
The project asks how removed Gorse biomass might be reinterpreted through design. The enquiry combines archive, field and studio practice to explore Gorse as both ecological evidence and design material. Material testing focuses on branches, thorns, flowers and related hand-processing techniques, while outcomes extend beyond a single object to include crafted artefacts such as lighting or furniture studies, a Gorse craft toolkit, material display pieces, and a public-facing website for learning and invitation.
Ultimately, the aim is not to aestheticise or solve Gorse, but to create a practice-based framework through which people can re-recognise it: as a species embedded in habitat management, local knowledge, and circular opportunity. By making Gorse visible, tangible and discussable, the project positions design as a way to support ecological awareness, public re-recognition, and more careful material engagement.
Project Video Link:https://youtu.be/G2z66sBuIqE?si=Yxadbpuyb_Y6IG-i
