"Can we inspire a global transition by making the low-tech future irresistible?" 

A collaboration with Lowreka

The Context:

Sustainability is often framed through what we must "give up." Low-tech offers a different path: high-impact living with low-impact tools. Lowreka has done the essential work of finding and vetting these practical solutions. But for these tools to gain cultural traction, they need a narrative.

My Role:

I was brought in to unleash the visual potential of these technologies. By imagining the architecture, the atmosphere, and the social fabric of a low-tech society, I helped providing the "proof of concept" that people need to believe in—and work toward—a sustainable transition.

The artistic & strategic process

The Integration of Knowledge

The collaboration began with a selection of high-impact low-tech products from Lowreka’s database. My role was to move beyond mere depiction; I acted as an urban strategist, placing these technologies within a functional, lived-in 2040 city ecosystem.

I integrated years of my own artistic and technical research into the composition, focusing on:

• Active Rainwater Harvesting:Designing systemic water flows within the architecture.
• Urban Biodiversity:Creating habitats that coexist with high-density living.
• Vertical & Horizontal Greening:Utilizing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to regulate urban microclimates.

Strategy: Community Engagement

Lowreka utilized a unique "validation-first" approach. Before the final artwork was completed, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to engage the community. They offered my concept art prints as a way to test the narrative's resonance. The campaign was a resounding success, proving that there is a significant market hunger for a well-visualized, sustainable future.

The Outcome :  A Vision of Low-tech Urbanism

The Synthesis of Data and Narrative

I synthesized Lowreka’s extensive research into a singular, comprehensive visual ecosystem. A functional map of a possible tomorrow. By integrating pedagogical text layers directly into the architecture of the scene, we created an intuitive "explorable" environment where viewers could discover low-tech principles through visual storytelling.

The Real-World Impact

The final artwork served as the cornerstone for a multi-channel campaign. It was developed into a campaign poster, utilized across digital media, and served as a central visual anchor for a Low-tech summit in Paris.

The Vision: Unleashing the 2040 Low-Tech City

The resulting artwork offers a definitive glimpse into a Solarpunk future. It depicts a city that has reclaimed its streets from the monotony of 20th-century transit, transforming them into vibrant, productive social commons.

Key Design Features of the 2040 Ecosystem:

• Hyper-Local Food Systems: Paved roads are replaced by "edible streets," where community gardens provide fresh produce directly at the doorstep.
• The Transit Revolution: A shift toward low-impact mobility, featuring the Woodybus (a wooden bicycle-bus) and shared electric vehicle systems that prioritize efficiency over ownership.
• Biophilic Architecture: Every surface is alive. Rainwater is actively harvested on every roof, while exotic but practical cooling solutions, like evaporative terracotta walls and reinvented Spanish toldos regulate the urban temperature naturally.
• Multispecies Coexistence: The design fosters a radical return of biodiversity. In this city, children picking berries share the space with squirrels, swifts, and even egrets hunting on resilient green roofs.
• The Repair Economy: The city is designed for longevity. Maintenance and repair are visible, celebrated parts of the urban fabric.

This is a city that invites you to stay. It is a place where infrastructure is no longer dull and grey, but an invitation to meet, to create, and to thrive.

The artist at work

The final illustration

Thomas and Anthony (Lowreka) at the low-tech event in Paris

The artwork used for low-tech journal may/june edition 2026