Sheena Matheiken

Irish born, Indian raised and Brooklyn based, Sheena is an experience designer and filmmaker working across the broad realms of technology, design and film. Sheena is concerned with how technology both influences and implicates culture. She believes in the importance of design, not simply as an end in itself, but as the prerequisite that gives all substantial things their necessary grounding. She considers film to be a sacred medium that can subvert today’s hyperactivity and connect us deeply to the depths of our own realities.

In 2001, Sheena completed Urbicide— a short film she shot in Sarajevo four years after the Serbian siege of the city. Urbicide is a portrait of post war landscapes as reinhabited by its natives. The film premiered at the rooftop of ABC No Rio gallery in NYC, on the six month anniversary of 9/11. As the film screened, the very first installation of the Towers of Light beamed into the night sky, adding new context to the piece.

In 2009, Sheena launched the globally acclaimed Uniform Project – an experiment in ethical fashion – whereby she challenged herself to wear the same dress for an entire year. Designed to be an online fundraiser, the project went viral, acquired millions of views, and raised over $200k for charity. Following its success, she was honored as one of Elle Magazine’s Women of the Year.

Sheena is principal & partner at Bricolagista!, an independent filmmaking collective, founded by her husband, Maximón Monihan. Their debut feature film, La Voz De Los Silenciados, is a modern day silent film about a deaf immigrant girl in New York City. The film has played to great acclaim in the international film festival circuit and has picked up a few awards along the way. The duo has two new feature films currently under production.

Presently, Sheena dedicates most of her time to New Lab – a multidisciplinary technology and design center currently under development in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As Chief Expeirence Officer of New Lab, Sheena leads all aspects of experience design across New Lab’s physical and digital footprint.

For inquiries, speaking engagements, collaborations, or other info, please drop a line.