KRYSTELLE DENIS




Developer and Information Architect
10+ Years

I work with research teams, arboretums, and cultural institutions to turn data into thoughtful, accessible experiences. This includes developing interfaces, visualizations, maps, and catalogues for exploring and understanding research, collections, and stories. I also contribute to projects through metadata structuring, technical support, and workflow design.

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C.V.  (Request Full Version)




Education
Harvard University
Graduate School of Design
Master in Architecture I AP
2011 - 2015

University of Florida
School of Architecture
Bachelor of Design in Architecture
2006 - 2010


Professional HistoryWater Conservation, OC Utilities
Orlando, Florida
Data Technologist
2024 – Present

Museum am Rothenbaum (MARKK)
Remote
Technical and Design Lead 
2019 – 2022

Sorbonne University
Paris, France
Developer and Designer
2016 – 2018

Piaggio Fast Forward
Remote
Web Developer
2015 - 2017

metaLAB at Harvard
Cambridge, Massachusetts 
Researcher, Designer and Technologist 
2014 – 2018

Orange County Water Utilities
Junior Software Developer
Orlando, Florida
2013


Work Samples
Digital Benin
1.
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Memoires d'Apollinaire
1.
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Curarium (Satellite)
1.
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Illuminus Boston
1.
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The Shipping Container

Data Artifacts of the Arnold Arboretum
1.
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Press & Publications
Digital Benin
1.
The Financial Times
“The Benin Bronzes and the road to restitution” (2022)
2.
The Financial Times
“Tracking down Nigeria’s stolen artefacts” (2022)
3.
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6.
Museums Association
“Digital Benin project unveils online platform” (2022)
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Mémoires d’Apollinaire
1.

The Life and Death of Data
1.
digitalSTS
“The Life and Death of Data” (2019)
2.
Society for Social Studies of Science
“The Life and Death of Data” (2015)
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WORK SAMPLES



Digital Benin


MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum
Role: Tech and Design Lead
2019 - 2022


Digital Benin aggregates data on over 5,000 objects held across 138 institutions in 20 countries, tracing the global dispersal of artefacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in 1897. The platform links object records with provenance data, historical context, oral histories, and an Edo language catalogue. Using linked, unedited source metadata, it integrates maps, metadata, and multilingual sources to offer a centralized, searchable resource that visualizes the worldwide movement and current locations of Benin’s royal artworks and related materials.

Watch an overview →
Presented by Osaisonor Godfrey Ekhator-Obogie, Lead Researcher.

1.
Historical Landmarks of Benin Kingdom
Project: Digital Benin
Category: Map

Focusing on key historical sites and landmarks in Edo South, formerly the Benin Kingdom, this map highlights Benin City and surrounding towns. It traces how political and cultural structures were shaped by geography—like the city’s radial street plan and guild-based wards. Sites span centuries, reflecting the deep, place-based history of the Kingdom’s evolving social and urban landscape.

2.
Institutions with Objects from Benin Kingdom
 Project: Digital Benin
Category: Map

Offering a global view of Benin cultural objects, especially the Benin Bronzes, this map shows where they are held today. It contrasts their current locations with their original context in the Kingdom of Benin. By mapping global dispersion, it reflects the impact of colonial looting and the ongoing legacy of displacement, ownership, and restitution surrounding these significant cultural works.

3.
Ẹyo Otọ: Historical objects with their correct Edo designation
 Project: Digital Benin
Category: Catalogue

Ẹyo Otọ restructures museum collection data by reclassifying objects using original Edo designations. It integrates visual, written, and spoken descriptions, enabling multi-modal access. Users can view, download, and interact with illustrations as coloring books or language cards. The platform addresses data gaps and supports Edo-led knowledge production by embedding cultural, linguistic, and historical context. Illustrations were produced by the talented artist and designer: Osaze Amadasun.

4.
Provenance and Institutions
 Project: Digital Benin
Category: Visualization

Linking roles, names, and acquisition histories across 138 institutions and 959 provenances, users can sort by provenance, institution, object count, or country, and view detailed collection overviews. Bar graphs visualize record counts for comparative analysis, while consistent metadata links enable cross-institutional research into provenance, collection histories, and the global movement of Benin objects.

5.
Digital Benin Catalogue
 Project: Digital Benin
Category: Catalogue

The Digital Benin catalogue allows users to search, filter, and study over 5,000 objects from 138 institutions. It links object data with Edo and English designations, provenance, and categories, preserving institutional metadata structures. Filters enable dynamic research into object relationships, institutions, and provenance networks. Object cards display search results, and data includes images, 3D scans, and contextual research.
Team and Institutions
 Design and Development — in collaboration with Alex Horak
Illustrations, icons, visual language by Osaze Amadasun.
More team info here.

Project host:
MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum

Initial project funding:
Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation 

In collaboration with:
Institute for Benin Studies
La Faculté des Lettres, Sorbonne Université
University of Benin
Weltmuseum Wien

Memoires d'Apollinaire 


Obvil, Sorbonne Université
Role: Engineer & Designer 
2016 - 2018The French poet, playwright, novelist, journalist, and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire produced prodigiously during his short life (1880-1918). Today, Apollinaire’s playful forms of expression continue to inspire manifold interpretation in digital form, in video, song, and even dance. Despite this, much of his work still lay dormant, dispersed in archives across Paris, accessible mostly to academics. Ambitious in its scope and breadth, Project Apollinaire centralizes a large portion of his impressive oeuvre and makes it easily explorable for high school students in classrooms throughout France.

1.
Mémoires d’Apollinaire Archive
 Project: Memoires d'Apollinaire
Category: Catalogue, Installation

This platform encourages students to explore Apollinaire’s influence by placing his works amidst the modern artifacts which they have inspired. To this end, the project reveals a network of thousands of diverse media objects – manuscripts, texts, newspapers, audio clips, videos, and photographs. So while Apollinaire only lived to thirty-six, on Project Apollinaire the timeline of his influence extends visually into the present day.
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