Frank Kolkman is a critical designer, researcher, and educator who merges science and design in a provocative way of thinking. Interested in the implications of current and near-future technologies, his designs offer relevant possible solutions for the healthcare sector and involve patients in their own processes. His body of work consists of confrontational prototypes, interactive installations and scenarios that create disruption and aim to make groundbreaking concepts more accessible. Kolkman reflects on extremely urgent matters and the processes and systems that hide behind them, whether socio-economical, ethical or aesthetic. His strong research and innovation methods have the capacity to either advance a solution, or challenge and highlight an issue. 

Frank’s work is experimental, deconstructivist and systematic. Since graduating from the Royal College of Arts in Design Interactions (MA), he’s demonstrated his capacity to work with different disciplines and cultures. This shows in his projects, like Open Surgery (a do-it-yourself surgery robot), Designs for Flies (a kit allowing patients to develop medicines for rare illness themselves), Black Gold (for the preservation of endangered species of animals) and Outrospectre (about dealing with the experience of death with the help of technology). With Swarovski, Frank presented Crystal Dream Machine, combining neuroscience, robotics, and the refractive properties of crystals to induce deep relaxation and ‘artificial dreaming’. As an interface towards smarter ways to relax, it bridges the possibilities of smart living and its influence on our mental health for the better. He explored healthcare futures for Philips Experience Design, where he researched contemporary themes like technology access and ownership, on which he created practical implementations. 

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