The healthcare sector is under pressure. Hospitals are running out of space, while doctors and nurses are leaving the workforce due to high workloads and physically and mentally demanding work. The Amphia Hospital in Breda commissioned us to design a speculative visual within the context of healthcare to address these challenges. Together with Nina Korteweg, we focused on a significant issue within the healthcare industry: the shortage of organ donors.

In the Netherlands, thousands of patients are on waiting lists for donor organs. Sadly, not everyone receives a transplant in time. New technologies are being explored as alternatives to combat the shortage of donor organs. Through research into current and future developments, as well as societal debates and ethical dilemmas, we developed a critical and imaginative perspective on this issue.

With our project, “Leven voor een ander”, we asked: “What if we were able to genetically manipulate humans to grow additional organs?” In this speculative future scenario, donors can grow organs in their bodies without dying, creating an abundance of organs available for donation. There would be so many that they are selling them in supermarkets. As a result, people would no longer see the value of the donor or the organs grown for others.

“Leven voor een ander” is a speculative design project intended to provoke thought and spark debate. It is not a solution. It invites people to reflect on implications of genetic manipulation, organ donation, and how we value the human body.