Damarys Crawford: Biophilic Designer

An artist would be lost without their tools, whether that be a pencil or a paintbrush. For Damarys Crawford, her medium is plants. 

“Ultimately, the goal is just to create a piece that helps that connection, that helps further that connection with nature.”

Her relationship with plants was fated from a young age. She grew up in a town in Cuba named Las Tunas, named after a species of native cactus. 

“My mother had such a love and a passion for plants. Her affinity was - is very different than mine…she talked to her plants and they were almost like her babies.”

Plants, particularly tropicals, help Damarys feel connected to her family roots. Those connections have strengthened even more over the years. 

After a life threatening accident that left Damarys unable to live on her own for a while, her mother helped provide extra care for her houseplants that she had to abandon temporarily. She felt that her own resilience was reflected in her plants that also survived that tough time. 

“She would just give me these stories, and she would show me pictures. And so for me, it was a bonding experience with my mom, but also with nature.”

A film by Jacopo Fantastichini.