Heiter X is an artist-designer dedicated to reimagining the relationship between food, people, and the environment. With a background in landscape architecture and food design, she specialises in sustainable design, creating immersive experiences that explore the deep connections between them. Believing that consciousness gives rise to our reality, her works seek to inspire a deeper awareness of our intrinsic connection to the world around us.
Fascination with natural forms, stones, and found objects merges with a reflection on the energy inherent in these elements and the unseen spaces both around and within us that are felt rather than observed. Drawing on her studies in landscape architecture and food design, Heiter X creates immersive experiences that explore these themes. Her work aims to inspire meaningful conversations and deepen our connection to the living world and the deeper reality that underpins it.

Heiter X is the visionary behind Protopia Collective. She curates exhibitions and immersive events, her aim is to foster a sense of unity and shared purpose, encouraging creative collaboration that transcends individual disciplines and contributes to a more connected and conscious world.

[Website](https://www.heiterx.com/)  

[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/heiter_x/)

Terra Firma

Mound

Shiikra

Fossora

Totem

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Heiter X

Robin Berrewaerts's work is situated between furniture and sculpture with a strong emphasis on materiality and craftsmanship. Ranging from private commissions to exhibitions, products and sculptures, creating objects with or without any typological or functional constraint.
Whether straight from a tree or industrially processed, wood manifests itself in a large variety. For Robin, this creates a huge interest in using it as a material. He sees working with wood as a physical interaction between material and artist. It comes with its own processes, techniques and peculiarities of language and vocabulary. The transformation from a tree to an object resembles a conversation, a journey, looking for the right way to use time and tools. The identity of the wood acts as a guideline from branch, stem or sawn lumber. Each type needs different approaches which results in unique objects that have grown into something that arouses curiosity.

Many of Robin’s works make use of black. The act of making the piece black, whether oxidizing, burning or painting finalizes the work he has put into the material. It marks the end of the journey. The experience of a black surface is of a physical type, the absorption of light drawn away from the eye, the pupil opens and there is a sense of being pulled into the surface. Experiencing form and details before recognizing the material so the wood itself is not becoming a decorative element.

Robin works and lives in Brussels, Belgium. He graduated as a interior designer at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels followed by a postgraduate in furniture design at the Thomas More School in Mechelen.He shares his time between his own atelier and guiding students at the LUCA School of Arts where he is managing the wood and metal workshop.

[Website](https://www.robinberrewaerts.com/)

[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/robinberrewaerts/)

Blocca I

Blocca II

Blocca III

Duo Blocca

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Robin Berrewaerts

Erik Merisalu is an innovative Estonian jewellery designer and graphic artist whose work bridges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. A graduate of the Estonian Academy of Arts, where he earned a BA in Graphic Design with Cum Laude honours, Erik further honed his skills in sculpture and jewellery at the Luca School of Arts in Ghent. His creative journey has led him to collaborate with various fashion brands, artists, and designers, contributing unique jewellery and accessories that have been featured in music videos, fashion collections, and exhibitions across Europe. Currently based in Paris, Erik continues to push the boundaries of jewellery design, blending intricate craftsmanship with bold, modern aesthetics.

Acutus

Anum

Culter

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Erik Merisalu

Alana Proosa is an Estonian multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and musician. With a background in semiotics, she has developed a rich and varied career that spans visual arts, music, and teaching. As a photographer, Alana has collaborated with various Estonian theatres and participated in numerous exhibitions, both solo and group, across Estonia and internationally. Her work often explores themes of identity, memory, and the human condition, conveyed through photography, performance, and audio-visual installations.


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Alana Proosa

Daanius Aas is an acclaimed Estonian chef and the recipient of the 2023 Michelin Young Chef Award. Known for his innovative approach to sustainable, locally-sourced cuisine, Daanius leads the culinary direction at both SOO and HiiS restaurants. His dishes, often crafted from foraged ingredients found in Estonia's bogs, forests, and coastal areas, embody a minimalistic yet deeply flavourful style that has earned him and his establishments widespread recognition, including a Michelin Green Star for sustainability. Despite his growing acclaim, Daanius remains committed to providing a highly personal dining experience, meticulously preparing and serving each meal himself to a select number of guests

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Daanius Aas

Jo Nurm is a designer and artist known for her multidisciplinary approach to fashion, art, and design. She has showcased her work at international events such as Paris Fashion Week, New York City Jewellery Week, and London Fashion Week. Nurm’s creative portfolio includes fashion collections, jewellery, and immersive exhibitions, often exploring themes of sound, vibration, and the unseen forces that shape our world.
She is also one half of Grounding Sisters, a collaborative project with Heiter X that merges Nurm’s fashion pieces with Heiter X’s design objects, creating a unique fusion of wearable art and design. Her work has earned her recognition and awards, including the title of Best Designer at the 2015 Hõbenõel Gala. As a key figure in the Estonian fashion and art scene, she continues to push the boundaries of design, blending artistic expression with innovative concepts.

Grounding Trüffles

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Jo Nurm

JoJo&me Studio is a Tallinn-based creative duo, formed by Martina Gofman and Johanna Ruukholm, specialising in graphic design, art direction, and illustration. Their work is characterised by a playful yet sophisticated approach, blending bold visuals with intricate details that engage and inspire. JoJo&me Studio’s portfolio spans a diverse range of projects, from editorial design and branding to exhibitions and visual storytelling. With a deep passion for artistic expression and a keen eye for design, Martina and Johanna bring a unique perspective to every project, creating work that resonates with both creativity and purpose.

Protpia leaflet

Foraged flyer

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JoJo&me

kollektiir is a practice-based design garage located in Haljala, Estonia. The studio was founded by Mari Uibo and Rait Lõhmus, a crafty collective giving waste materials another round.
Mari Uibo  is a hairstylist and an interior architect, currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In her MA thesis, Uibo explores the potential of human hair in furniture design, offering a second life to a material that would otherwise be thrown away. Her research is focused on slow practice, furniture design, folklore, environmental sustainability and circular design methods.
Rait Lõhmus is a designer and a craftsman mostly expressing himself in glass. Lõhmus is currently researching for his MA degree on Craft Studies program at the Estonian Academy of Arts. His thesis project explores reusing and recycling possibilities of glass packages and through his research developing an author’s technique and concept - reblow. Reblow is a combination of traditional glass blowing methods and modern sustainable approach. Created objects are carrying values and hints from their previous lives.

Crambe

Habitaculum

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Kollektiir

Taavet Jansen is an Estonian digital artist, choreographer, and researcher, whose work focuses on the intersection of performing arts and technology. With a background in choreography and new media from the AHK Amsterdam Theatre School, Taavet has dedicated his career to exploring and developing digital platforms for art events, with a particular interest in creating hybrid performances that merge physical and virtual spaces. He is a lecturer in multimedia at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy and regularly contributes to various research projects that investigate the role of technology in the arts. As a coordinator and researcher for the collective e⁻lektron, Taavet has been instrumental in advancing digitally mediated art experiences, pushing the boundaries of how audiences interact with and experience performance.

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Taavet Jansen

Rickie Cheuk is British Born Hong Kong artisan; a Materials Explorer who enjoys investigating  peculiar ways of making. He practices circular design by producing objects using waste materials from different industries. With a background in Architectural Studies at University College London and Drawing Methodologies from The Slade School of Fine Arts, Rickie uses different mediums to convey his passion for making.

Metalsmith.
Materials Explorer.
Design through Making. 
Waste = Material, WA = MA

Sinus

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Rickie Cheuk

Marit Mihklepp is an Estonian artist and researcher whose work explores the interconnectedness of the human and non-human worlds, with a particular focus on the often overlooked—whether too far, too small, or too slow. Based in both Estonia and The Netherlands, her practice spans instructed experiences, performative lectures, microbial perfumes, video pieces, and listening exercises. Recently, her work has delved into geologic imagination and our encounters with stones, featured in exhibitions such as Radical Symbiosis: The Social Life of Microbes (RADIUS, NL) and The Death Began in Autumn (Casa Lü, MX). Marit is also a member of Haagse Kunstenaars and the Estonian Artists’ Association, and she co-founded the artist initiative Stone Network with Anna Bierler.

The Longest Movie Ever Made

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Marit Mihklepp

Tiiu Aruoja is a versatile Estonian chef and designer with a background in both culinary arts and leather design. She holds a BA in Leather Design and Restoration with a specialisation in shoe design from Tartu Art College. Recently, Tiiu pursued her passion for cooking by completing a chef program at Tallinn School of Service.
Her culinary journey includes experience at esteemed restaurants such as Lee in Estonia, where she currently works, and Nolla in Helsinki, where she found her passion in zero waste cooking. Tiiu has also worked as a designer, including owning and operating her own custom furniture company. Her diverse expertise in both design and gastronomy reflects her creative approach and dedication to craftsmanship.

Rowanberry-Clay Salt

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Tiiu Aruoja

This February, the Design Biennale Rotterdam 2025 transformed the city into a hub of creative exploration. Among its highlights was Sacred Grove, an immersive installation by Estonian artist-designer Heiter X and her Protopia Collective, which invited visitors into a world shaped by biophilic design, sustainability, and a deep reverence for nature.

Hosted at W70 from 20 February to 2 March, Sacred Grove offered a tactile, sculptural landscape made from raw clay, reclaimed wood, hemp, water, and living plants. Rooted in Estonian foraging traditions and sacred groves, the installation invited quiet reflection, with seating by designer Robin Berrewaerts encouraging stillness and connection.

Adding to the space, artist Erik Merisalu contributed sculptural jewellery and accessories that extended the exhibition’s focus on material exploration and natural form.

More than an exhibition, Sacred Grove was a call to pause, reconnect, and imagine new relationships between people and the natural world.

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Biophilic Installation

Sacred Grove

## FORAGED emerges as a quiet resistance to the haste of contemporary life, offering a profound reconnection to the natural world. This exhibition centres on Terra Firma, an installation that transforms the act of foraging into a meditation on abundance and presence. Here, foraging transcends the mere gathering of food; it becomes a creative ethos that reclaims waste and reimagines materials and ideas.

In the relentless pulse of modernity, where time is often measured in fleeting moments and distractions, FORAGED emerges as a sanctuary. It offers visitors a chance to reconnect with their true nature and a deeper sense of presence through the simple act of foraging. This exhibition is an exploration of our connection with nature and an invitation to engage deeply with the essence of life.

FORAGED unfolds as a sensory journey through curated environments that echo the sacred groves revered across cultures. Here, foraging is reimagined as a mindful ritual that extends beyond the mere collection of wild edibles. It becomes a metaphor for the creative process itself, encouraging visitors to engage with materials of the Earth that have been transformed into objects carrying the imprint of nature’s hand. This practice, steeped in philosophies that recognise the inherent aliveness of everything—from plants to stones—urges visitors to see the world anew, as a vibrant, interconnected web of life.
At the centre of this experience lies Terra Firma, the piece that symbolises the bed of the forest—the Earth, the ground, the land, Maa in all its forms. Terra Firma serves as the anchor of the exhibition, representing the solid, fertile foundation from which all life emerges. It connects the elements within the space, reminding us of our deep, enduring relationship with the Earth and the grounding force that sustains our existence.  

As visitors move through the exhibition, they encounter objects crafted from foraged materials—branches cast in bronze, old glass reimagined into new forms, stormwood sculpted into benches and stools, and “nectar” distilled from fallen branches and tree bark. These creations celebrate the inherent vitality of the materials, reflecting the life they once embodied. Sustainable materials, such as clay from the earth, and foam glass or cork left over from construction, are shaped into forms reminiscent of tree stumps, imbued with the textures and spirit of the forest.  

FORAGED invites visitors to engage all their senses—to touch, to smell, to taste the offerings of the land—and to reflect on their connection with the living essence of the Earth. In this space, the distinction between self and nature may quietly blur, offering glimpses of interconnectedness that often goes unnoticed.  

This exhibition uncovers the vibrant life within and around us, often overlooked but always present, waiting to be rediscovered. In FORAGED, foraging becomes both a literal and metaphorical act—a way of gathering not just materials, but meaning, connection, and a deeper understanding of our place within the world. The journey begins with the solid foundation of Terra Firma and extends outward into a world where every element is alive with potential, inviting each visitor to explore, to connect, and perhaps, to feel a little more whole.  

Participating artists:  
Heiter X,
Robin Berrewaerts,
Kollektiir,
Grounding Sisters,
Jo Nurm,
Erik Merisalu,
Tiiu Aruoja,
Marit Mihklepp,
Alana Proosa,
Taavet Jansen,
JoJo&me,
Daanius Aas,
Rickie Cheuk  

Curated by Heiter X    
Graphic Design by JoJo&me  
Sound by Jo Nurm  
Photography by Alana Proosa  





Multi-Sensory Exhibition

Foraged

As part of the London Design Festival 2025, multidisciplinary artist and designer-maker Heiter X joins forces with Protopia Collective to present Sanctum in The Ditch at House of ICON — a new multi-sensory showcase combining light, sound, and vision to create a contemporary sacred space.

At its heart is Domestic Monuments, a new series of sculptural furniture and functional forms made entirely from hempcrete — a sustainable biocomposite of hemp hurds (shives) and lime. Used since ancient times for its strength, lightness, and breathability, hempcrete’s tactile, porous surface carries the subtle warmth of living material. Traditionally a construction medium, here it is reimagined for object design, where its stone-like texture, durability, and carbon-negative profile meet sculptural form.

In Estonia, hemp has deep agricultural roots, once cultivated for rope, sails, and textiles. By working with hempcrete, Sanctum links contemporary design to this enduring material lineage, grounding innovation in place-based tradition.

Inspired by ancient boulders and offering stones, the pieces in Domestic Monuments invite reflection, connection, and a slowing of pace in the midst of urban life. Two key works debut here:

Creta – sculptural serveware and display vessels, each one-of-a-kind, in hempcrete with natural finishes.
Rauna – a hand-sculpted seating object or side table in hempcrete with lime stucco finish.

Rooted in the Estonian tradition of the hiis — sacred forest clearings for gathering and honouring the land — Sanctum is a modern space for grounding, intention, and presence.

Multi-sensory Showcase

Sanctum

Sacred Grove

Exhibition views

Exhibition views