About

Structure and Narrative is the professional practice of Sjef van Gaalen. I work as an independent researcher, designer and writer in digital culture and strategic foresight.

There are two interests I’ve had my entire life; finding out how things work and stories about the future. These have come together over time in a generalized skill for absorbing large amounts of information, finding ways to organize it, and telling stories woven from the emergent patterns. Structure and Narrative.

The outputs of this process have included identity design, scenario research reporting, software evaluations, participatory futures research, workshop designs, performance scripts, grant proposals, speculative artefacts, short fiction and more. A lot of documents, slide decks and collaborative workspace boards. Sometimes collages.

Most of my work is at some intersection of technology, ecology and society (what isn’t), where I have particular interests in systemic, regenerative, situated, participatory and embodied design issues, digital rights, cooperative movement building and trees.

I am currently a member of the board at Zoöp CCU, where I advise on strategic direction and fundraising. Creative Coding Utrecht (CCU) is a platform for digital culture as practice, with a multi-year artistic research program focused on eco-techno-feminism, permacomputing and regenerative design, embracing post-digital aesthetics. I’m also the product owner of their Creative Coding Instrumentarium.

I’m an associate senior researcher with School of International Futures (SOIF)—a global non-profit working on equitable and sustainable futures for current and next generations—for whom I’ve worked as a writer and researcher on horizon scanning, domains analysis and scenarios projects in the space and health sectors.

I also occasionally assist organizations seeking to balance ethical and practical concerns in strategic decision making with regard to software vendor selection, such as Democracy and Media Foundation and Limelight Foundation.

I will forever be wildly behind on documenting my projects on this website.