Elna Aurand is a French–Swedish textile and social designer. Her work explores how citizens can participate in decision-making and find agency in water management. Situated at the intersection of citizen science and sensing technologies, her practice responds to the global urgency of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss by involving communities in water stewardship, particularly around issues such as eutrophication (excess nutrient run-off that lowers water quality) and toxic cyanobacteria blooms. Working across environmental research and participatory practice, she connects scientific knowledge with local, embodied ways of observing and understanding water.
"Sensing Vänern" is a project that invites local residents and scientists to meet and collaboratively imagine alternative futures for collective water sensing. Recognizing the value of local knowledge and community involvement, the project offers a collective and more-than-scientific mapping of the lake and its caretakers. It incorporates wool-based water sensors, lake-inspired fragrances, and electromagnetic “readings” of the lake’s condition. Through this immersive experience, participants are encouraged to sharpen their senses and develop a synaesthetic understanding of the lake, enriched by both knowledge and enchantment.
