Marte Mei van Haaster is a Dutch designer based in Amsterdam. Her practice revolves around allyship with nature: she investigates the human-nature relationship of different places and produces site-specific and interdisciplinary projects. As a designer, van Haaster is interested in how her practice can stimulate the adjustment of strategy required to keep the forest healthy for both biodiversity regeneration and production purposes.

The Companion Species Puzzle is a modular shelf made of beech and pine wood planks and ceramic elements. To produce the wooden elements, van Haaster collaborated with wood craftsman Rutger van der Zee, who shaped the wooden planks around the ceramic pieces. Van Haaster made the ceramic parts during her residency at EKWC in the Netherlands. For the glazes, she worked with beech and pine ashes to emulate the green tiles on the Renaissance stoves of the castle. She used only non-toxic and natural ingredients and halved the firing process to a single fire to save energy. The wood and ceramic elements fit like puzzle pieces, with the ceramic supporting the shelves in a delicate balance.