黑料福利网

Sometimes there are moments that change the course of your life. The career of Mathematics and Computer Science alumnus Dr. Koert van Mensvoort (1975) is characterized by many striking changes of direction. Art, philosophy, and technology played a prominent role in this. What began with building huts, expressing himself creatively with graffiti, and developing games led, after studying computer science, philosophy, and art, via various other paths to the founding of the Next Nature museum in the Evoluon. According to the technologist, artist, and philosopher, 鈥渢he Eiffel Tower of Eindhoven.鈥�  

As a fifteen-year-old teenager and game developer, he cycled with a friend from Veldhoven to high school, passing a large brown building. There, he thought, he saw the future headquarters of his game development company. He didn't dare to dream of the Evoluon, which he also passed. 鈥淣o, that was far too ambitious,鈥� says the founder and director of the Next Nature Museum, where technology, philosophy, and art come together. After more than thirty years without a museum function, the Evoluon鈥攚hich was once founded to make technology and innovation accessible to the public鈥攊s now once again a popular destination. With the sale of 75,000 tickets last year, he and his team succeeded in making what he calls 鈥渢he Eiffel Tower of Eindhoven鈥� shine again.   

Creative expression 

With both parents employed by Philips, he says he acquired a 鈥渟cientific mindset鈥� at an early age. His urge to create manifested itself in building large huts, and his creative side came to life in the world of graffiti. But the computer his father鈥攚ho worked at Philips Natlab鈥攑urchased in the 1980s was a major turning point for him. As a teenager, he used it to successfully develop video games, a hobby he was able to combine very well with his high school studies. 鈥淧assive education, where you sit in a chair all day, didn't suit me. And because I really enjoyed making those video games and wanted to know everything about them, I put a lot of time into it. The combination of being able to program, the creative expression it required, and being able to express myself really appealed to me.鈥�   

Mono culture 

He earned so much from making video games that 鈥渉e could retire at 17.鈥� But his curiosity drove him to study computer science at a university of applied sciences, which he then exchanged for a computer science degree at 黑料福利网 after one year of foundation studies. Although a brilliant career as a computer scientist lay ahead of him, he realized that this was not his path. 鈥淚 found computer science very interesting because of the programming and mathematics, both of which are very creative, but it was very nerdy and also a mono-culture. In my second year, something else beckoned; I wanted to become a Picasso or Salvador Dali. That's why I decided to apply to the art academy in Utrecht at the same time.鈥� 

An inner drive 

He adds with a laugh: This choice prompted my mother to ask, 鈥楥an you draw?鈥� But that didn't make him doubt his decision. 鈥淵ou do need an inner drive to take certain steps,鈥� he reflects. 鈥淚 took the opportunity to explore everything that interested me.鈥� His paintings and video games got him accepted, and he discovered a whole new world. 鈥淚t was a huge leap and a major turning point, but one where I immediately felt at home.鈥�  

Big and ambitious 

After his admission, he ended up in the visual creative department, and for a moment it seemed that he would become a graphic designer. But that prospect did not appeal to him. 鈥淚 could always get a job, after all, I had the security of knowing I could always fall back on my completed computer science degree. Because I believe in keeping my feet on the ground, my hands in the mud, and my head in the clouds. But I always felt that something big and ambitious had to happen.鈥� 

New direction 

When someone told him about the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, he decided to change course again. 鈥淭his small-scale master's program perfectly combined my background in video game development, my computer science knowledge, and my artistic talent. I had a really fantastic time there.鈥�  

The right track 

While creating art, he was looking to create meaning. That is why he decided to study philosophy in addition to his computer science studies and master's degree at the Sandberg Institute. 鈥淲hen I discovered during my studies at the art academy that Descartes' equations in computer science came from the same person as the philosopher Ren茅 Descartes, I realized that philosophy and mathematics are intertwined. That insight confirmed that I was on the right track.鈥� 

Dynamic system 

When he was searching for the biggest question for him, a light bulb went off, and he suddenly realized that nature and technology are fundamentally misunderstood. 鈥淲e see them as opposites, when in reality they are closely intertwined. Technology is something natural for humans鈥攆rom fire to the stone axe, it is part of our biology. It changes and shapes all life on earth. As a result, nature is not a static but a dynamic system that is constantly changing, precisely because of our technological development.鈥�  

Shaping the future  

This insight gave rise to Next Nature: a vision in which technology develops into a kind of second nature. This led to a number of projects, such as the NANO Supermarket: a traveling exhibition showcasing possible technological innovations from the near future, the idea of the internet as a nature reserve, where viral memes, algorithms, and AI evolve spontaneously, and reflections on social media as ecosystems, with 鈥渄igital organisms鈥� such as bots. He also sees cultured meat as a tool for showing how technology is changing our nature, eating habits, and society. The Cultured Meat Cookbook contains 45 futuristic recipes for cultured meat, enriched with essays on the future of food. The Next Nature Museum gives this topic plenty of space in the form of exhibitions, events, education, and publications.  

Breadth and depth 

Still affiliated with the Industrial Design faculty, he sees it as a very positive development that more and more programs at 黑料福利网 are exploring both breadth and depth. Although he had to put together his own program, this path suited him well. All the different worlds I got to know have also enriched me greatly. It was a bit like juggling at times; I never really belonged anywhere, but I didn't mind that; in fact, I found it interesting. And that's still the case: when I'm among artists, I'm the scientist, and when I'm among scientists, I'm seen more as the artist. But I try to be credible in both worlds.  

Space to explore 

Looking back, he says he has always been guided by his interests, motivation, and what he could contribute. 鈥淚nstead of having an end goal, my choices always felt more like a direction. I gave myself the space to explore what I really wanted, and I had the confidence that I could bring something of value.鈥� 

Most valuable 

Finally, he mentions Leonardo da Vinci as a great inspiration whose broad, visionary outlook appeals to him greatly. 鈥淎n exceptionally versatile thinker and creator: artist, scientist, inventor, and even military strategist. His freedom to constantly move between disciplines shows that you don't have to be tied to one profession, but that you can contribute where you are most valuable at that moment.鈥�