Abid Abbas
Programme:
Design - MPhil/PhD
Start date:
September 2024
Mode of study:
Full time
Research title:
Cultivating Connection: A Design Approach for Fostering Emotional Bonds between Early Adults and Plants
Biography
Plants tread a fine line between feeling inanimate and alive. They, generally, don't move, are rooted to the ground, and grow gradually. Often mistaken as object-like, Abid's research aims to ensoul them by experimentally deploying Product Attachment strategies for so-called 'ensoulment' of things from the realm of Product Design.
Abid serves as the elected PGR Representative for the Edinburgh College of Art for the year 2024–2025.
In addition to academic pursuits, Abid is a long standing core committee member and the pro bono creative director of the Human Touch Foundation since 2019. This Indian non-profit addresses key societal issues including equality of opportunity, sexual harassment and environmental conservation.
Abid is also a member of the Communications sub group of SHARP: Scottish Heart and Arterial disease Risk Prevention, a Scottish charity that aims to reduce cardiovascular disease through healthcare research and educational initiatives. He has been in this position since 2022.
Research interests
- Relational Design
- Product Attachment
Due to their object-like nature, plants may feel inanimate to some. Research shows that plants are often mistaken for non-living by children. Afterward, Plant Awareness Disparity—a phenomenon pervasive in urban societies—positions them as unimportant background entities. Consequently, interactions between plants and early adults are seen to diminish, and these societies enter the cycle of anti-plant bias. This research seeks to heighten urban society’s environmental consciousness by transforming plants from seemingly inanimate entities to emotionally significant beings. We intend to do this by experimentally deploying Product Attachment strategies for so-called 'ensoulment' of things from the realm of Product Design.