In two shakes of a lamb’s tail Speculative Design Inquiries into relations between Human, Nature, and Technology
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Index Introduction Projects
06 08 Communication
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Ant Communication Amber van Gastel, Renan Zaparello, Mahtab Ghasemi The Dignity of Plants Maaike Helleman, Fahimeh Zare, Moritz Plöns
Habitat
30
Mobility
40
Healthcare
50
The New Matter of Habitat Eline ten Busschen, Enora Cressan
The Flooded Hague Eleonora Gasparini, Juraj Olejár, Maria Serra I Gil
Common Enemy, Uncommon Enemy Lucy Vink, Doğa Çakmakçı, Milena Eiras De Sanzo
Imprint
62
Introduction
This first idea opens the way to exploring alternatives:
“How could new technological developments influence the relationship between humans and nature in the future, and what do we see as a desirable consequence in this perspective?” Since the dawn of time, humans have been attempting to be the narrator of their own destiny, associating with the various technological advances, a discourse, a projection towards a future that is envisaged and idealized with varying degrees of realism. What does human engineering really have to offer the world in the face of the growing ecological crisis? On this question, there seems to be a divide in scenarios: technological science will save us, or nature will reclaim its rights. But it seems questionable, and even dangerous, to reduce the Anthropocene era that is upon us to this binary (nature versus technological humanity). It is precisely by redefining the complex relationship between nature, humans, and technology that we can highlight the interconnectedness of human and natural processes in the new complex reality suggested by the emergency we are confronted with. 06
The following projects are the fruit of various speculative explorations in response to this relational reinvention. In doing so, we question the very premises of this relationship. Is ‚technology‘ exclusively human? Can we consider the architecture of swallows as technology, or does this recognition only arise when humans reproduce this structural logic? How can we include these non-human phenomena and ways of being in our new perspectives on production? Is a partnership with nature that places at its heart the reinvention of our ways of doing and thinking really possible? And above all, how can we formulate a technological ideology that will open up our discourse? Today more than ever, this innate tendency to create constructed scenarios is linked to the urgent need for new collective representations. Because the world needs to be reinvented. 07
Projects
Communication
Ant communication Learn from the tiniest architects of the world
Renan Zarpellon Gago Amber van Gastel Mahtab Ghasemi 10
“Beyond the conventional means of movement, Ant Maps users receive real-time information about dangers, safe paths, and hidden elements in their environment.“ 11
Communication
For this project, we looked into what communication means between individuals and between groups. For our non-human, we choose to investigate ants, as they are the most advanced and efficient in communicating, not only on a one-on-one level but also within their community. 13
Ant communication
Ant Maps New Creation Scenario The cityscape undergoes a revolutionary transformation with the advent of Ant Maps, a system featuring genetically modified ants that serve as living cartographers. Strategically placed in hubs, these remarkable ants embark on a mission to create intricate pheromone trails, weaving a living map of the city. In this innovative approach to navigation, humans are seeking fresh perspectives about mobility. The ants located on these devices pick up pheromones from their genetically modified counterparts in the environment, transforming the user‘s body into a living canvas for exploration. As users traverse the city, the ants on the devices exert gentle pressure on their skin, serving as tactile guides. This pressure, responsive to the intricate pheromone trails that have been laid out by the ants in the city, becomes a unique and immersive navigation experience. Beyond the conventional means of movement, Ant Maps users receive real-time information about dangers, safe paths, and hidden elements in their environment. The ants act as intuitive guides, not only leading individuals through the urban landscape but also providing crucial insights that enhance safety and enrich the exploration. Ant Maps heralds a transformative era in navigation, where genetically modified ants pave the way for an interconnected, safe, and dynamic movement through the cityscape. 16
Communication
Seed Dispenser Empowered Mentor A beacon of hope emerges amidst environmental degradation in the form of a seed dispenser. The once-thriving forest, now a desolate landscape scarred by human intervention, becomes a unique canvas for collaboration between humans and the industrious architects of the soil—ants. Recognizing the dire consequences of their actions, humans strategically design intricate seed dispensers, scattered across the barren land as symbols of commitment to restoration. These dispensers serve as an invitation for ants to unwittingly join in the journey of renewal. As ants dutifully carry myrmecochorous plant seeds to their nests, nature‘s unintentional germination unfolds, turning the oncebarren canvas into a vibrant, teeming landscape. The collaboration between humans and ants becomes a powerful testament to coexistence, reflecting a newfound understanding and balance in the grand design of nature. Through this symbiotic partnership, a diverse ecosystem awakens, with myrmecochorous plants like Euphorbia Hirta, Trillium, Viola, and Asarum enticing ants to spread life to new horizons. In the closing scene, the harmonious alliance between ants and humans stands as a symbol of the potential for collective action in caring for the environment. As the credits roll, they acknowledge the collaborative efforts of individuals and organizations in this inspiring restoration project, a triumph of unity between humankind and the diminutive custodians of the soil. This might showcase the profound impact achievable when working hand in hand with nature. 19
Communication
The dignity of plants How to use plant communication to treat them with dignity?
Maaike Helleman Fahimeh Zare Moritz Plöns 20
“The complexity of the plants‘ communication shows their complexity as living organisms, which raises the question of how plants are viewed and dealt with by humans.“ 21
Communication
How do plants communicate? These projects build from research works exploring how plants produce electrical signals as a response to changes in their environment, such as light, temperature, humidity, and others. The cybernetic plant-robot hybrid “Elowan”, designed by the MIT Media Lab, uses these forms of intra-organismal communication, and electrical signals, to navigate a robot towards light. This project inspired the creation of the “Nomadic Farm Robots”. But intra-organismal communication does not only work through electrical signals. Plants have systems similar to an animal‘s nervous system. With waves of calcium increasing through their cells, the plant sends information from one leaf to another. These increases can be triggered when the plant is touched or even hurt. This study helped to formulate the base for the design of the first scenario’s artifact: “PWI Staterra”. The complexity of the plants‘ communication shows their complexity as living organisms, which raises the question of how plants are viewed and dealt with by humans. The “Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH)” elaborated a list of rights to plants, stating that plants should be treated with dignity. Considering this, the goal of this project was to think about how dignity can be given to plants, and how the understanding of the dignity of plants would differ depending on the two future scenarios chosen. 25
The dignity of plants
Plant Wildlife Initiative (PWI) Empowered Mentor Because of the growing awareness regarding the environmental damage humans have inflicted upon nature, people are awakening to the significant role of the surrounding ecosystem. Generated by a desire to correct the harm caused by humans, individuals are eager to contribute by rewilding plants that have been changed on a genomic level, to fit the humans‘ needs. The Plant Wildlife Initiative (PWI) is an organization that focuses on rebalancing the ecosystem. To reach that goal the PWI produces the “PWI Staterra”, a suit designed for hiking trips and nature walks. Equipped with sensors, it fosters an interaction between individuals and plants, triggering responses through touch. To spread the seeds the fruiting part of the plant needs to be collected in the suit’s backpack containing a digestive liquid. This liquid processes the fruits within minutes, producing nutrient-rich residue containing seeds. This can be reintroduced into nature. The PWI encourages individuals not only to appreciate nature but actively participate in its restoration, fostering a sense of environmental stewardship. 26
Communication
Nomadic Farm Robots New Creation A beacon of hope emerges amidst environmental degradation in the form of a seed dispenser. The once-thriving forest, now a desolate landscape scarred by human intervention, becomes a unique canvas for collaboration between humans and the industrious architects of the soil—ants. Recognizing the dire consequences of their actions, humans strategically design intricate seed dispensers, scattered across the barren land as symbols of commitment to restoration. These dispensers serve as an invitation for ants to unwittingly join in the journey of renewal. As ants dutifully carry myrmecochorous plant seeds to their nests, nature‘s unintentional germination unfolds, turning the oncebarren canvas into a vibrant, teeming landscape. The collaboration between humans and ants becomes a powerful testament to coexistence, reflecting a newfound understanding and balance in the grand design of nature. Through this symbiotic partnership, a diverse ecosystem awakens, with myrmecochorous plants like Euphorbia Hirta, Trillium, Viola, and Asarum enticing ants to spread life to new horizons. In the closing scene, the harmonious alliance between ants and humans stands as a symbol of the potential for collective action in caring for the environment. As the credits roll, they acknowledge the collaborative efforts of individuals and organizations in this inspiring restoration project, a triumph of unity between humankind and the diminutive custodians of the soil. This might showcase the profound impact achievable when working hand in hand with nature. 29
Habitat
The new matter of habitat Dust: philosophy of the waste
Enora Cressan Eline ten Busschen 30
“This matter of dust, however, instead of being seen as an enemy, leads to the potential of a new future landscape in miniature.“ 31
Habitat
2224. While our resources have been threatening to disappear for over 500 years, a scientific report delivered its verdict on Friday 24 February 2223: we can no longer produce new materials. So what is left for us? Dust. Waste, denied by humanity, carries the weight of our negligence. This matter of dust, however, instead of being seen as an enemy, leads to the potential of a new future landscape in miniature. Using appropriate techniques and devices, extensively researched and tested by a team of lab researchers, it is possible to collect fine dust and suspended particles and agglomerate them into solid units. These blocks, although modest, can become a quantitative unit of measurement in a Dust society and a paradise of objects and forms finding shape through the redemption of lost things. The Ministry of Dust has just delivered these artifacts with a focus on ease of use, to ensure that they are accessible to all, regardless of level of expertise. 33
The new matter of habitat
The Collecting Glove Walled Garden In this context, we decided to focus on re-evaluating dust by making it the subject of a collection. Society will be fully situated in highly urbanized areas where there is no (incidental) influence of nature. There will be a strict government that rules to ensure the regulations of dividing nature and technology are followed. The government states that everybody needs to collect at least a 1x1x1 cm block per week and everything above that is for personal use. For this, designers and engineers came up with a collecting glove, designed to create a closeness with the matter. That way we are seeking to transcend the traditional barriers between humans and its environment. 34
Habitat
The Growing Tile New Creation This artifact aims to turn dust into a moldable material that will become the building block, a new start. The project stems from the consideration of Dust as an entity in its own right, which is at the origin of a close collaboration with users. The laboratory has put a simple technical system at the service of this living material: The first step is the careful collection of dust from a variety of sources. Fine particles are selected and processed, removing any unwanted contaminants to ensure the quality of the base material. Once the dust has been collected and prepared, it is then introduced into specially designed molds. By applying pressure to agglomerate the dust particles evenly the compression process finalizes. This step creates a solid, cohesive base, ready to be transformed into a hard-wearing tile. The magic element of this transformation lies in the simplicity of adding a precise amount of water to the surface of the compressed dust. This reaction creates a natural chemical bond between the particles, as a catalyst, transforming the compressed Dust into a compact material. The production process is finalized after the tiles get dry. 39
Mobility
The Flooded Hague About future ways of living
Eleonora Gasparini Juraj Olejár Maria Serra i Gil 40
“Nobody knows what is inside the water, nor which is the next step to survive.“ 41
Mobility
In a world where humanity persists in its current path, oblivious to the warnings and signs the environment has sent their way, significant transformations occurred. In 2073 The Hague, once a dynamic city, stands divided into two distinct spaces: the human city and the natural, dangerous underwater area. This division emerged as a consequence of the seawater swallowed the territory in one of the biggest floods ever in a point of no return. These contrasting worlds, stood side by side yet unconnected, first spread chaos and unbearable fear. 43
The Flooded Hague
Emergency Blocks Walled Garden Nobody knows what is inside the water, nor which is the next step to survive. The whole city is stuck indoors, for those who are still possible, and the NL Government Public declares an announcement through the Warning System to declare the state of emergency. However, after these first days, human resilience prevails and helps them navigate the new reality pushed at its edge. Collaboration between government and individuals provides a useful strategy for rapid adaptation to everchanging streets. The first supplied floating blocks, new devices that allow circulation in the flooded streets when filled with floating materials and placed side by side. Now the city has been rearranged, and mobility is a totally new concept; popular streets are no longer what we considered such, but the ones leading to hospitals and supermarkets. For that purpose, three iron and openable blocks were designed, with interwoven green sides that remind of the fishing nets and some instructions on how to fill them. 44
Mobility
Revolutionary Hermit Housing Production Partner Looking through the lens of adaptation, the lack of places to live and the battle for space with sea creatures now living on land, like hermit crabs, caused a brand new invasion. Since streets were no longer available, walls and buildings are now being occupied by humans and non-humans as shared spaces, where both species live, move, and even sleep side by side. Through time hermit crabs and homeless people have forged an inseparable bond, evolving into a single, integrated entity. Later on, a collaboration between forward-thinking designers and the government emerged as a response to this peculiar relationship. Recognizing the connection between the homeless and hermit crabs, designers conceptualized a housing system inspired by the crabs‘ shells, directly attached to the pre-existing buildings and able to move up and down with the changing water level. The ambitious goal was to provide shelter for both; and nowadays, in 2090, we‘ve seen an unexpected triumph as the government-designer alliance successfully implemented this innovative solution and they even named it the „revolutionary hermit housing“. The once-invaded walls are now transformed, not overrun but adapted. Shell-houses dot every street, proving to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Homeless find safe homes, and the relationship with the hermit crabs has flourished. As the city embraces this new (not always) harmonious ecosystem, one can only wonder what other peculiarities the future holds in store. 47
Healthcare
Common enemy, uncommon ally Rethinking the place of microorganisms in healthcare
Lucy Vink Doğa Çakmakçı Milena Eiras De Sanzo 50
“Is nature, particularly microorganisms, an asset in healthcare or a barrier to be overcome?“ 51
Healthcare
Through the lens of healthcare this question was discussed by exploration of two worlds, present simultaneously while operating on totally contradicting ethics & values. Fast forward to 2030, when another pandemic triggers societal panic, intensifying the debate on nature-human relations. One faction, the Homo Perfectus, paranoid about nature‘s role in human evolution, isolates themselves in dome-like societies, separating themself from biomes. Advanced technology allows them to establish self-sufficient cities, enforcing strict separation between humans and non-humans. Simultaneously, another faction embraces the ever-changing nature, seeing an opportunity to evolve with it and search for new ways of symbiotic relations with other species forming another civilization. An advanced AI infected with fungi called ‘g.AI.a’, therefore having access to all human history and the world’s ecosystems knowledge. This civilization sees nature as an opportunity to live peacefully with nature, possessing knowledge from human history and the world‘s ecosystems. 53
Common enemy, uncommon ally
The World of Homo Perfectus Walled Garden In the Homo Perfectus world, the sanitization booths address concerns about public health. These booths not only disinfect citizens but also gauge temperature, clean surfaces, and analyze saliva to track health throughout the day. Users follow instructions from medical specialists, positioning themselves within designated areas. Activating the disinfection mechanism, metal-infused air blows, inducing discomfort; a blend of disorientation, claustrophobia, tingling, and humidity. Temperature anomalies are logged, and a saliva examination provides insights into encountered microorganisms. In a section of the NL.010 Dome District 9, at the beginning of midday, a group of participants enters a conference room after a sanitation process where a charismatic representative presents an innovative health company, Eternalife. The crowdfunding project promises extended life, reduced diseases, and the freedom to be whoever, wherever, and whatever in a digitally secure, sterile environment. Despite the isolation, participants exist in a paradoxically living state connected to an alternative reality via gadgets, detached from society yet engaged in a non-microbial space. 54
Healthcare
The World of g.AI.a Empowered Mentor Through the experiments conducted with the guidance of g.AI.a, people invented an explorer‘s shoe that connects humans and their natural environments in a regenerative way. This resulted in people working directly with g.AI.a to take care of ecosystems and societies by traveling the earth, collecting & redistributing certain specimens of microorganisms. They were called collectors, who worked with devices that granted access to g.AI.a, one of the gadgets was the symbiotic shoe. The shoe is connected to the g.AI.a’s network functioning as the ‘brain’ of the shoe. Microorganisms are absorbed into the shoe’s sole while exploring. g.AI.a classifies if the microorganisms are beneficial or pathogenic and determine whether they are favorable for the shoe wearer, the direct or indirect ecosystem, or other people. Based on this information the specimens are stored and cultivated, to be fed into the bloodstream or discharged into the environment. The symbiotic shoe resembles the new connection between humanity and their natural environment, a way all of us are connected and have to take care of our surroundings. 57
Imprint
Production of the publication Coordinator Maxime Benvenuto Text editing Doğa Çakmakçı Enora Cressan Eleonora Gasparini Production Maaike Helleman Lucy Vink
Project guidance In collaboration with Klaas Kuitenbrouwer, Director, The Zoönomic Institute Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT - Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek)
Master Industrial Design Royal Academy of Art, The Hague Prinsessegracht 4 2514 AN The Hague www.kabk.nl m.roozenburg@kabk.nl z.roelse@kabk.nl
Image coordination Fahime Zare Renan Zarpellon Gago Online production Milena Eiras De Sanzo Mia Serra Gil
Coaching of the project
Print editing
Cream on Chrome (Martina Huyhn and Jonas Althaus)
Mahtab Ghasemi Amber van Gastel Moritz Plöns
Special thanks to Maaike Roozenburg, Head of department MID Zara Roelse, Coordinator MID
Copy editing Eline ten Busschen Juraj Olejár
“We can’t read water in the same way as we can’t read data…Working with it makes us more aware of the distance between ourselves and the matter under consideration: it reminds us that we share this world rather than own it. Knowledge produced through the medium of the shifting surface of a bucket of water is made in cooperation with the world, rather than by conquering it.” James Bridle, Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence