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T HIBAU LT-PICAZO
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‘Design must not just visualize a ‘better world’ but arouse in the public the desire for one.’ Antony Dunne, 2005.
CRA F T
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A NTHROP O CE NE GE OLOGY
Thi baul t-P i c az o
Fu tu re ge ol ogy, spe c ul at i v e de si gn, m ater ials , anthropocene, tales , s tor ytelling, f ore c asting, s cience fiction Word count : 4,302
MA T E XTILE F U TU RES 2013 C e n tr a l S a int Ma rt i ns, Uni ve rsi t y of t he A rts of London - P rinted in M ay 2013, London.
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P RE FA CE
A nt hropoc e ne (m an - per iod) T he A nthropocene era is a new geological epoch evidenci ng t he i m pact of global civilis ation on Earth. The term w as coined a de c a de a go by P aul Crutzen 1 and s ugges ts that humankind has be c om e ove r time a global geophys ical force intertw ined w ith the m ost powe rful forces of nature. T hrough our collective actions , our indus tries , w e s pread s pecific e l e m e nt s i n nature, rare in the pre-human era, w hich w ill become pre va l e nt sediments , building up the future planetary s trata. T he Ant hropocene tells the s tory of this s hift, through w hich a ‘post -na t ure’ is emerging from our activities : w e have s tarted to re de fi ne t he raw material of our planet. T hi s c onc e pt is tied to the current environmental cris is ; its us e i s not l i m i t ed to the s cientific community, rather it is relevant to va ri ous di sciplines . The A nthropocene propos es a new pers pect i ve on our p lanet, aiming at rais ing cons cious nes s and increas ing re sponsi bi l i ty about the fact that w e are dis rupting the cycles of bi ol ogy, c hemis try and geology in s uch a s cale that this w ill be re c orde d i n the rocks . Obse rvi ng t his s hift, I catalys ed this s low geological phenomenon t o m a nufa c ture human-made minerals out of the mos t dis tinctive m a t e ri a l s of our epoch. I elaborated material tales w hich s peculate a bout fut ure potential s ubs tances to be mined in a far future. Craf t i n t he Anthropocene adopts a s peculative approach to propose a n a l t ernative interpretation of this new ly proclaimed geol ogi c a l pre s ent. This project intends to s timulate a debate and offe r a t a ngible experience around this emergent theory.
1- Crutzen, P.J. Geology of Mankind, Nature 2002, 415, 23
I I
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AN T H R OP OCE NE
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De f i n itio n . . . . . . . . . . . . ........12
P ractices and languages ..................26
I r e f u s e to b e a la r mi st .............13
Collaborations ..................26
A co s mo lo g y ? . . . . . ........16
M aterial tales ..............30
Ti m e - d e e p time . . ..................18
U topia / D ys topia?..................30
Ma n u f a c tu r e d N a tu re ...............20 ‘ Di ag e n e s is ’ . . . . . . . . ..................24
III MATE RIA L PRODU C TION
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TALES PR OC E S S
◊ TH E ANT HROPOGE NIC SPE CIM EN CA BIN ET ..................34 D I Y g e o -m i m i c ry..................36 Th e o b je ct s / t he sc e na ri os............. .....46 Th e c h o ice of a n a rc ha i c a e st he t i c ... ...............48 P e r p e tu a ti ng m i ni ng i ndust ry..................50 ◊ TH E P E ST L E - Cum bri a n bone m arble..................52 ◊ P P C M ORTAR - pa c i fi c pl a st i c c rus t ..................60 ◊ TH E VE SSE L - T ha m e s’ ri ve r a l uminium nuggets ..................66
C O NCLUSI O N
a nd further developments ....................76
R ESO URCES
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A CKNO WLEDG MENT
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I TH E
A NT H R O POC EN E
D E FINITIO N
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Th e c o n c e pt of na t ure as w e u n d e r s ta nd i t , ha s sh i f t e d a s th e re l a t i onshi p b et we e n n a tu r e a nd m a n ha s d r am a tic a lly c h ange d ove r t i m e . O v e r c e n tu r i e s, m a nki nd f o u g h t a g a in s t n a ture i n orde r t o su r v iv e u n til g ai ni ng powe r o v er it. T h e id e a th a t h um a nki nd i s t r a n s f o r min g th e worl d i n n o t ne w. S o o n a f te r t he fi rst i n d u s tr ia l r e v o lu t i on, fe w v an gu a r d s , a w a r e o f our i m pa c t o n th e b io s p h e r e, sugge st e d
t he t e rm s Anthropoz oic 2 , 3 P sy c hozoi c and Noos phere 4 . Ge orge P erkins M ars h, one of t he firs t A merican e nvi ronm e nt alis ts , w arned of t he da nge rs of this phenomenon i n The E arth as m odified by human ac t i on (1864) 5 . T he se a t t e m pts w ere vain; they se e m e d a bsurd to the geological c om m uni t y who did not found t he fa c t s sufficient to jus tify t he bi rt h of a new geological e poc h. Inde ed, compared to the i m m e nse ge ological time and e xt ra ordi na ry natural forces suc h a s volcanic activity or m ount a i n building, humans c a n a ppe a r i ns ignificant.
In 2001, N obel P rize w inner and atmos pheric chemis t P aul Crutzen built upon this theory in a paper and popularis ed the term A nthropocene 6 . A lthough the year zero of this epoch s till being debated (s ee fig.3), as our influence began millennia ago 7 , various s igns lead us to think that the middle of the X X t h century is the point in his tory from w hich humankind s tarted challenging the mos t pow erful natural forces at a global s cale. This period, called the G reat A cceleration (s ee fig.4) , matches w ith the daw n of the atomic era. N ow, “our civilization is pow ered by around thirteen teraw atts (TW) w hile the flux of energy from the center of the Earth is around forty TW.” 8 This theory, grounded in the alarming context of the current environmental cris is is quite pes s imis tic about the
2- Antonio Stoppani, 1873 3- Le Conte, J. , Elements of Geology; D. Appleton & Co: New York, 1879. 4- Le Roy, l’Exigence idéaliste et le fait de l’évolution (Idealistic Exigency and the feat of Evolution); Boivin: Paris, 1927. 5- Marsh G.P. 1864, Man and Nature, retitled The Earth as Modified by Human action. 6- Crutzen, P.J. Geology of Mankind, Nature 2002, 415, 23 7-Ellis, E. (2013) The long anthropocene - Three Millennia of humans reshaping the Earth. 8-Bruno Latour (2011) Waiting for Gaia. Composing the common world through arts and politics. A lecture at the French Institute, London, November 2011
f u tu r e o f o u r na t ura l l e ga c y. I t y e a r n s f o r a gre a t e r se nse o f r e s p o n s ib ili t y. Doe s t he An th r o p o c e n e a ut om a t i c a l l y r e la te w ith doom sda y? Is d y s to p ia th e onl y na rra t i ve form th r o u g h whi c h t he An th r o p o c e n e c a n be t a l ke d abo u t? T he n o tio n re c e i ve d con s id e r a b le int e re st a nd i s n o w th e c e n tra l subj e c t of a v iv id a n d c ont rove rsi a l d e b a te a mo n g s t a n i nc re a si ng commu n ity of sc i e nt i st s and th in k e r s . In 2016, t he I n te r n a tio n a l Com m i ssi on on S tr a tig r a p h y w i l l de c i de of t he g e o lo g ic a l v a lidi t y of t hi s ne w t e r m. Beyond b e in g a si m pl e sc ie n tif ic te r m, I be l i e ve t ha t i t is a n o tio n whi c h e xpl a i ns o u r r e la tio n s h i p t o t he worl d and h e lp s r a is e c onsc i ousne ss o f o u r o v e r p o we re d posi t i on i n n a tu r e . I n t hi s se nse , wi l l t he a c c e p ta tio n of t he t e rm ‘ A n th r o p o c e n e ’ be a m i l e st one i n d is c o u r s e s o f sust a i na bi l i t y?
I RE F U S E TO A LA RMIS T
B E
Craft in the Anthropocene i s a spe c ulative des ign project whi c h rais es ques tions and st i rs a debate. It does not i nt e nd t o s olve the problems of t he e nvi ro nmental cris is but to provoke a reflexion around it. I de ve l oped an interes t in t ryi ng t o bypas s the common st ory of the A nthropocene and a voi d t he prevalent pes s imis tic t one . T he aim w as rather to c om m uni cate the s cientific t he ory neutrally, projecting i nform a t i on and facts into t he i r fut ure logical extremes .
M oreover, I aimed to highlight a s ens e of creation rather than des truction. O ne can argue that the A nthropocene is the s tory of the advent of a new w orld and of new matter. Therefore, can this new geological pres ent be cons idered as a modern myth, a cosmology?
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1 6 A c o s mo lo gy i s t he wa y i n whi ch one u n d e r s ta n d s a n d o rga ni se s t he worl d, re ga rdi ng both n at u r a l a n d c u ltu ra l a spe c t s. T he re fore I believe An t hr o p o c e n e is a c osm ol ogy, or a t l e a st , t hat it is ch a n g in g th e w a y our c osm ol ogy i s st ruc t ure d. Ou r r e la tio n s h ip wi t h na t ure ha s c ha nge d in its esse n c e . O n e o f t he probl e m s of t he t e rm is that i t st r e s s e s th e c ent ra l posi t i on of hum a ns in our co sm o lo g y. W h ils t i t m i ght be t rue t ha t hom o sapiens sap i e n s h a s la rg e ly t ra nsform e d i t s ha bi t a t , t he term t e n d s to w a r d a n a nt hropoc e nt ri st i c unde rst a nd ing of t h e w o r ld .
M y t h n a r r a t e s a s a c r e d h i s t o r y, i t relates an event that took place in primordial Time, the fabled time of the “beginnings”. In other words, m y t h t e l l s h o w, t h r o u g h o u t t h e deeds of Supernatural Being, a reality came into existence, be it the w h o l e o f r e a l i t y, t h e C o s m o s , o r only a fragment of reality - an island, a species of plant, a particul a r k i n d o f b e h a v i o r, a n i n s t i t u t i o n . Myth then is always an account of a “creation”; it relates how something was produced, began to be.’ Mircea Eliade (1963) Myth and Reality. London: George Allen & Unwin ltd
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Re c e nt sc i e nt i fi c di sc overies like the decoding of our DNA ha ve he l pe d us unders tanding the notion of deep t i m e . Nowa da ys, we have accepted and unders tood t he i m pl i c a t i on of t i m e in D N A . We are able to e nvi sa ge i t be c a use we now unders tand the idea of t ra nsge ne ra t i ona l i t y. Howe ve r, how do we pe rceive the fact that our planet is 4,6 bi l l i on ye a rs ol d? 9 It is hard to cons ider a times cale e xpa ndi ng fa r be yond a human lifetime w ithout feeling di z z y. 80 ye a rs or e ve n ±40,000 1 0 of human era are i nsi gni fi c a nt fl a she s i n t he eternity of rocks : how do w e e nga ge wi t h i t ? 1 8
T he worl d we c re a t e d a nd w e belong to is increas ingly a c c e l e ra t i ng. In our e ve ryday life, w e experience time a s som e t hi ng fl e e t i ng and ephemeral, perceiving it a l t e rna t i ve l y a s c yc l i c a l , vectorial or ‘elas tic’. Ac c ordi ng t o hi st ori a n D ipes h Chakrabarty, the Ant hropoc e ne t he ory re minds us to tell the s tory of t he de e p t i m e . 11 Hum a ni ty is put in pers pective w ithin t he i m m e nsi t y of ge ol og ical epochs , or w hat w e call ge ol ogi c a l t i m e . T hi s seems neces s ary as humanity’s swi ft ne ss i s now di c t a ting a new tempo to nature, di srupt i ng t he sl owne ss of the Earth’s s ys tem. In a fe w c e nt uri e s, we ha ve almos t completely depleted re sourc e s, not a bl y fossi l energy, s ubs tances that w ere produc e d ove r se ve ra l m illions of years . Pa rt i c ul a rl y, t he use of nuclear energy now put us in a di ffi c ul t si t ua t i on. Michael M ads en’s movie Into E t e rni t y doc um e nt s t he building of O nkalo: the firs t gl oba l nuc l e a r buri a l si t e, located in F inland. The core a ssi gnm e nt i s t ha t t he architecture mus t las t at leas t 100,000 ye a rs. In ot he r w ords , for our perception, be pe rm a ne nt . T hi s e xa m pl e de m onst ra ted the neces s ity to re-evaluate our st a nda rds of t i m e .
9- De Wever P. (2012) Temps de la terre, Temps de l’homme. Bibliothèque Sciences, Albin Michel. 10- Fossil Reanalysis Pushes Back Origin of Homo sapiens. Available from < http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fossil-reanalysis-pushes> [accessed 15 may 2013] 11- Talk during the Anthropocene project: an Opening. Haus deer Kulturen Der Welt, Berlin. January 2013.
STILLS
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D IREC TED M IC HAEL
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M A N UFACTURE D N ATURE
To c la r if y a c e rt a i n a m bi gui t y, Cra ft i n t h e An th ro p o c e ne doe s not i nve st i ga te f u t u re a r c h e o lo g y. Ra t he r, i t e xa m i ne s fut ure g eo l o g y : h o w a p o st -na t ure i s ra i si ng a s hum an an d n a tu r a l f o r c e s c onve rge .
2 0
1 0 , 0 0 0 - 1 2 , 0 0 0 y e a rs a go, t he e a rl y Hol oce n e ma n s ta r te d t o c ont rol t he l a nd t hrough ag r i c u ltu r e a n d c a t t l e re a ri ng. 6 m i l l e nni a l a t er, Mesop o ta mia n s d e ve l ope d a n a rt i fi c i a l st on e wi t h s imila r p r o p e rt i e s t o ba sa l t , t o c ope wi th t h e a b s e n c e o f r o c k s i n t he i r a re a , whi c h would b e u s e to g r in d c o rn. T he y m a na ge d t o use t heir l o c al r e s o u r c e s to sol ve t he i r probl e m . Mi l l e n n ia la te r, we c a n a dm i t t ha t hum a nki nd h as c r e a te d its own na t ure . We now l i ve su r r o u n d e d b y a n i nc re a si ngl y m a nufa c t ured en v i r o n me n t. Landsc a pe s a re c ont rol l e d, sh ap e d , d e s ig n e d a t a gl oba l sc a l e . We i n t entio n a lly d ig out , proc e ss, e xpl oi t , m ove r eso ur c e s a r o u n d t he gl obe for t he produc t i on o f o u r c o mmo d ities. As a c onse que nc e of t his m a ss e x p lo ita tio n , c e rt a i n e l e m e nt s, (e .g. gol d , si l v e r, z in c . . . ) 13 a re pre di c t e d t o de pl e t e t he se co m in g d e c a d e s . I n st e a d, we a re c re a t i ng urban m i n e s . R e s o u r c e s a re e m be dde d i n a rt i fa c t s a ll
over the s urface of the planet. There are greater amounts of valuable res ources in our mobile phones than in mines . 60 odd materials are us ed in our 9 billion mobile phones . 1 4 Through our indus try and activities w e are s preading out materials (e.g. : plas tics , glas s , concrete, ceramics ...) w hich had never occurred on Earth before our era. The mos t common materials s ituated now adays on the s urface of the planet w ill eventually become part of its future s trata: it appears that w e are challenging the concepts of human-made and natural.
‘It seems that history as well as nature have more than one trick in their bag, since we are now witnessing the speeding up and scaling up of history not with postman but rather with what should be called a postnatural twist! If it is true that the “anthropos” is able to shape the Earth literally ( and not only metaphorically through its symbols), what we are now witnessing is anthropomorphisme on steroids.’ B r u n o L a t o u r ( 2 0 11 ) Wa i t i n g f o r Gaia. Composing the common world through arts and politics. A lecture at the French Institute, London.
13- James Clark, Closed Loop Chemistry from Waste to Wealth using Green Chemistry, Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. University of York, UK 14- Information delivered by Andrew Bloodworth, Head of Science for Minerals and Waste at the British Geological Survey in report Just how resourceful are we? ( 2011) MADE magazine, Issue 1.12, p 50.
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‘DI A G EN E S IS ’ Dr J an Zalas iew icz claims that w e are s ubs tantially t ra nsforming the w orld. S ince the s tarting of the univers e, a na t ura l i n creas e of the range of minerals is provoked by the m ost i m portant s teps of Earth his tory (s ee fig. 17). H umans have now be c ome embedded in this phenomenon, called D iagenes is. T he ra nge of terres trial minerals is increas ing extraordinarily a nd c a n b e counted by thous ands . N o inventory of s ynthetic m i ne ra l s exis t as thes e new s pecimens are not yet recognis ed by t he Int e rn ational M ineralogical A s s ociation. 1 5 Te c hnol ogy and s cience are the drivers of this phenomenon if not t he witnes s of our pow er over nature. Indeed, in laboratories we a re t o day capable of mimicking geological proces s es and e ngi ne e r cultured minerals . This technique of geo-mimicry se e m e d relevant for my des ign practice.
15- Jan ZALASIEWICZ, Ryszard KRYZA, Mark WILLIAMS (2011) Mineral Evolution On Earth: From The Hadean To The Anthropocene. Mineralogia - special papers, Nº38.
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A t th e p r e mi se s of t he proj e c t wa s t his ce n t ra l in te r e s t f or ge ol ogy, i t s a e st he t i c , its sy m bo l o f ‘ c r is ta l l i se d hi st ory’, t he m ost a ut h e n tic ma tte r. B u t b e y o n d b e in g a sourc e of i nspi ra t i on, ge olo g y a s a f ie ld o f s t udy, wa s fa r from m y e xpert i se a n d w a s f ir s t qui t e i nt i m i da t i ng. In orde r to en g a g e w ith a c o mm uni t y whi c h doe sn’t ha ve t h e s a me la n g u a ge a nd c ode s t ha n m e , I had t o g e t f a milia r w i t h E a rt h sc i e nc e voc a bul a ry as a d ju s t th e w a y I wa s pre se nt i ng m y proj e ct. I e x p lo r e d a h y b ri d pa t h be t we e n sc i e nc e a nd d esi g n a n d my r o le i n t hi s e xc ha nge wa s t o c reat e a b r id g e b e tw e e n t he se fi e l ds : m y de si gn wo u ld b e th e e mb odi m e nt . In ne e de d t o t ra nsl a t e a n d c o mmu n ica t e t he e m e rge nt ge ol ogi c al t h e o r y o f th e A n thropoc e ne T h r o u g h my e a r ly c ont a c t wi t h E a rt h sc i e nt i st s, I w a s s e e k i ng t o obse rve how t he y e ng ag e w ith n a tu r a l hi st ory t hrough m a t e ri a l s. In o ct o b e r 2 0 1 2 I w a s re c e i ve d by pa l e ont ol ogis t Dr C o n s u e lo S e n d i no i n t he re se a rc h offi c e s of t h e in v e r te b r a te s and pl a nt s di vi si on of Na t ural Hi st o r y M u s e u m a nd she offe re d m e a gl i m pse o n t h e v a s t a r c h iv es of a nc i e nt fossi l s c a re ful ly co n s e r v e d s in c e c e nt uri e s. Ul t i m a te ly I a p p r oa c he d t he nub of t he subj e ct as so o n a s I b e g an m y i nve st i ga t i ons on t he An t hr o p o c e n e . I n de c e m be r, I st a rt e d t o e nt er i n c o n ta c t w ith s om e of t he ke y pl a ye rs of t h is co m mu n ity. I n Ja n u a r y, H a u s de r Kul t ure n de r We l t i n Be rl i n ga th e r e d th e most i m port a nt ke y pl a ye rs o f t h e A n th r o p o c e n e for t he ope ni ng of t he t wo y ea r p r o g r a m : T h e A nt hropoc e ne P roj e c t. T his was a u n iq u e o p p ort uni t y t o be prope l l e d duri n g 4 d a y s in th e c ore of t hi s fe rve nt c om m un i t y o f s c ie n tis ts , pol i c y-m a ke rs a nd a rt i st s besi d e o th e r s a n d to unde rst a nd t he funda m e nts o f t h is e me rg in g the ory. T he di ve rse pra c t i c es wer e lite r a lly f e e di ng e a c h ot he r, wi t ne ssi ng to wh at e x te n t th e A nt hropoc e ne i s not onl y of a sci e n tif ic c o n c ern but a l so de e pl y re l a t e d to cu l t u r e .
C OL L A B OR ATION S A s s he brightly demons trates in every project s he achieves , des igner N elly BenH ayoun expos ed me one day her collaborative method, a s imple conception that w hen put in w ords s eems . A s des igner and initiator of a project, s he cons iders hers elf as the director. Then, experts become active collaborators and s atellites of her netw ork from w hich s he can glean information. We cannot be expert of all the s ubjects w e encounter but w e build a unique ‘cloud’ around us in w hich w e are the central point. D r J an Zalas iew icz, one of the main players in this A nthropocene dis cus s ion, actively contributed to the development of my project injecting the unfamiliar information foreign from my practice, s haring his res earches about the evolution of terres trial minerals . Eventually, he has been als o a fundamental advis er in defining the s cenarios on w hich the three objects of the s econd part of my w ork w ould rely. Lately, I dis cus s ed w ith P r J an Cilliers from S chool of mines , Imperial College, about the tradition of mining and he advis ed me the book D e re m etallica, w ritten in 1556 and s omehow cons idered as the bible of mining. O ver the year, I s lightly realize to w hat extent my w ork w as a tool to engage a debate w ith the community linked to the A nthropocene. I literally elaborated a platform to engage discus s ions w ith experts .
EARTH SCIENTISTS Dr JAN ZA L A S I E W I C Z geologist - l e c t u r e r Leicester u n i v e r s i t y Pr JAN CI L L I E R S Head of d e p a r t m e n t a n d c h a i r i n mineral Processin g , S c h o o l o f M i n e s , I m p erial Dr CONSUE L O S E N D I N O paleontho l o g i s t , N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Museum
CRITICAL DESIGN & SPECULATIVE DESIGN
PATRICK D E W E V E R Geologist , N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Museum of P a r i s .
THE AN T H R O P O C E N E
ME
THE ANTHROPOCENE PROJECT HAUS DE R K U L T U R E D E R WELT cultura l p l a c e . T h e Anthrop o c e n e p r o j e c t 2013-20 1 4 .
m aterials n arrative image
MATT MALPASS critical design & speculative design KIEREN JONES critical designer FIONA RABY AND ANTONY DUNNE critical designers NELLY BEN HAYOUN experience designer
ARMIN L I N K E Artist - f i l m and pho t o g r a p h y TERRITO R I A L A G E N C Y John Pa l m e s i n o a n d Ann-Sof i R รถ n n s k o g indepen d e n t o r g a n i s a t i o n that in n o v a t i v e l y p r o motes a n d w o r k s f o r sustain a b l e t e r r i t o r i a l transfo r m a t i o n s .
S T ORYTELLING K O D WO ESHUN w r i ter and lect u r er d e p artment of v i s ual cultures, G o l dsmiths Univ e r sity, London B R U CE STELLING s c i ence fiction w r i ter
S U M M A RY NETW OR K EN C O U N T ER S AN D M AIN
BRUNO LATOUR philosopher, sociologist, anthropologist DIPESH CHAKRABARTY historian
M APPING REFER EN CES
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GEOLOGY
AND
TH E ABILITY TO READ ROCKS
M AT ER IAL
TA LE S
A c c o r d in g t o Fre nc h ge ol ogi st Pa t ri c k D e Wever, rocks t e l l s to r ie s . 16 I n d e ed, t he pra c t i c e of ge ol ogi sts cons is ts in readi n g ro c k s a n d th e se que nt i a l l a ye rs a s t he pa ges of the book of E a r t h’s n a tu r a l h i st ory. I wa s i nt e re st e d i n incorporating this d i m e n s io n o f s to r yt e l l i ng i nt o m y work. T h e a b s tr a c t a n d qui t e c om pl e x not i ons of A nthropocene and d ee p time n e e d to be na rra t e d. As a de si gne r e ngaging daily w ith t a ct i l ity a n d ma te ri a l i t y I c oul d provi de a t angible experience o f t h is c o n c e p t. Th i s a spi ra t i on c orre sponds t o Bengali his torian Di p e s h C h a k r a b a r ty’s words, whi c h e xpre ssed the urgent need i n t his n e w g e o lo gi c a l e ra ‘t o de ve l op ne w s ens orial experien c es , b e c a u s e e x pe ri e nc e s a re a sourc e of kn ow ledge.’
3 0
An t o n y D u n n e a n d Fi ona Ra by a re t he i nst igators of cr itical d esi g n, o f w h ic h spe c ul a t i ve de si gn i s a c onstructive part. This i s t h e p la y g r o u n d i n whi c h Craf t i n t he A nt h ropocene evolves . S p ec u la tin g th r o u g h st oryt e l l i ng gi ve s us t he chance to think t h r o u g h o b je c ts . I t st i m ul a t e s our i m a gi na t i o n about the future an d h o p e f u lly g ive s us t he opport uni t y t o pos ition ours elves . Un l i k e ma in s tr e a m de si gn, whi c h se e ks t o find s olutions w ith t h e m a r k e tp la c e as fi na l t a rge t , wha t we often name ‘props ’ r ai se q u e s tio n s , r ec onsi de ri ng t he pre se nt a nd provoking a deb at e. C r itic a l d e s ign c onvoke m i nd a nd i m a gination rather than p r ac tic a lity. T h e C r a ft in th e Ant hropoc e ne’s pi e c e s a re t ime caps ules from an i ma g in e d f u tu r e . T he y func t i on a s m a t e ri a l forecas t. Like the f o ssils o f h u ma n ity, e a c h of t he spe c i m e ns of the Anthropogenic C a b in e t a n d th e th re e obj e c t s a re m a t e ri a l sc ience fiction tales co m mu n ic a tin g f a c t s a nd re a l i t i e s of t he Ant hropocene s tory. U TO P I A
/
DY S TO P I A
?
T he Ant hropoc e ne relates to an e n d-of-t he -worl d sc e na ri o. Yet, w hy s hould d y s t opi a be i t s m ost sui t a bl e narrative vehicle? I f hi st ory i s not l i ne a r, why s hould s tories be p r edi c t a bl e ? M y proj e c t i s a n a l t e rna t ive interpretation o f t he c ol l e c t i ve i m a ge ry of the future and s o d o es ne i t he r re l a t e t o t he st e reotypes of a clean a n d bri ght fut ure l e d by t e c hnology nor to the d o om sda y pl ot .
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‘ O n e o f c r i t i c a l D e s i g n ’s roles is to question the limited range of emotional and psychological experiences offered through designed products. Design is assumed to only make things nice, i t ’s a s t h o u g h a l l d e s i g n e r s h a v e taken an unspoken Hippocratic oath, this limits and prevents us from fully engaging with and designing for the complexities of human nature which of course is not always nice. It is more about t h e p o s i t i v e u s e o f n e g a t i v i t y, n o t negativity for its own sake, but to draw attention to a scary possibility in the form of a cautionary tale.’ Antony Dunne & Fiona Raby C R I T I C A L D E S I G N FA Q : I s n ’ t i t a bit dark? s o u r c e : < h t t p : / / w w w. d u n n e a n d r a b y. c o . u k / >
W h i l e t he t hre e obj e c t ’s s cenarios might b e pe rc e i ve d a s noi r, t he y are not grounded in dyst opi a : t he y si m pl y offer an extreme p r oj e c t i on i n a fa r fut ure of w hat w ould become th e t e rre st ri a l m i ne ra l s i f our civilis ation does n’t c h a nge i t s c onc e pt i on of re sou rces cons umption. 16- De Wever P. (2012) Temps de la terre, Temps de l’homme. Bibliothèque Sciences, Albin Michel.
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C ra f t in th e An th ropoc e ne e nvi si ons whi c h a re to become the elemental materials of our future p l a n e ta r y s tr a ta . I t m a t e ri a l i z e t he fut ure re sources to be mined from the Earth bow els . T h e p r o je c t is c o m pose d of t wo c onst ruc t i ve parts : the Anthropogenic s pecim en cabinet, and a co l l e c tio n o f th r e e obj e c t s de ve l ope d a round s peculative s cenarios : T he pes tle, the PPC m or tar a n d th e v e s s e l.
TH E A N T HRO PO G ENI C S P E C I M E N CABI NET 3 4
The ant hropogenic s pecim en cabinet is a m a t e ri a l l i bra ry of fut ure geology. T he roc ks a re m a de out of the mos t characteris tic m a t e ri a l s of our e poc h: metals , plas tics , bones , t e xt i l e s a nd Mi ne ra l oï ds w hich is the term for ‘hum a n-m a de m a t e ri a l s’ (e.g.: glas s , concrete, c e ra m i c s…). T he a nt hropoge ni c sp ecimens cabinet has an e duc a t i ve goa l : i t i l l ust rates real facts and figures of our nove l e ra (e .g.: i ndus try). F or example, one of t he se spe c i m e ns i s bui l t upon the unprecedented fact t ha t now, 90% of t he bi omas s inhabiting the planet a re ve rt e bra t e s. Inde e d, our lives tock repres ents now a bout 60% of t he backboned animals 1 7 and pre di c t i ons e st i m a t e 9 b illion humans by 2050. The fossi l re c ord i s l i ke l y t o contain a dis proportionate l a rge num be r of bone s. Anot he r m i ne ra l of t he cabinet illus trates the traces a c i t y woul d be l i ke l y t o leave behind it: concrete , m e t a l s a nd gl a ss be a ds. ( s ee p.38) T hrough t he m e a n of m ateriality, thes e future fos s ils a l l ow a n a udi e nc e t o c ontextualis e the premis es of t he Ant hropoc e ne t he ory and project the impact of c urre nt a c t i vi t i e s i n t he long term.
17- Leaving our mark: Fossils of the future (3 nov. 2012) BBC Science and Environment. available from: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20154031> [accessed 14 May 2013]
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I n o r d e r t o m i m i c a nd a c c e l e rate g eo l o g ic a l p r o c e s se s (se e fi g.26), I ne e ded t o w o r k w ith p r e ssure a nd hi gh t e m pe ra t ures . Ov en s a n d h e a t- p r e sse s a re t he t ool s wi t h which I r epr o d u c e d th e ext re m e c ondi t i ons e xe rt e d on r o ck s .
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T h e w o r k s h o p s be c a m e m y l a bora t ory to m a n u f a c tu r e th e f ut ure m a n-m a de m i ne ra l s. My e x p lo r a tio n s c onsi st e d i n m e l t i ng pl a stics wi t h p ig me n ts a nd gra ni t e , l a ye ri ng synt hetic m a t e r ia ls a n d me lti ng a l um i num i n t he forge . As m y r a w ma te r i a l s we re subj e c t e d t o e xt reme co n ditio n s , I h a d t he fe e l i ng t o c ont rol t he m . In t h i s D I Y f r a me , I re a l i z e d t o wha t e xt e nt c raft was a ma n if e s ta tion of hum a n e m powe rm e nt o ver m a t e r ia ls , mo r e b roa dl y ove r na t ure . T h r ou g h th is ma te ri a l e xpl ora t i on I de ve l oped a m a t e r ia l lib r a r y th a t I c onsi de r a gre a t re source f o r l a te r d e v e lo p me nt s.
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speci mens
Ci ty fossi l fossi l i sed texti le car s m i ner al s al um i ni um nugge t al um i ni um sedi m ent pl asti c r ock fossi l i sed texti le pl asti c cor e
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T H E OB JECT S / T HE S CENARI O S Ha vi ng de ve l oped a collection of A nthropoge ni c spe c i m e ns, i t wa s important next to develop rele va nt sc e ne s a round which an audience could reflect a nd proj e c t i t se l f. T hus foc usi ng on t hre e materials of the cabinet, I deve l ope d spe c ul a t i ve sc e narios originating from differe nt a nt hropoge ni c re a l â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s tories â&#x20AC;&#x2122;: 4 6
> t he foot a nd m out h shade epis ode in U K > t he Pa c i fi c pl a st i c pa t ch > t he prol i fi c Al um i num indus try E a c h of t he na rra t i ve w as embedded into three embl e m a t i c obj e c t s : T he p es tle, the P CC mortar and the ve sse l . In t he se i m a gi ne d fut ures , novel rocks originating from t he se t hre e a c t i vi t ies w ill be mined in very s pec i fi c si t e s a nd e xpl oi t ed for s pecial particularities . T he y woul d ha ve be c ome valuable res ources becaus e of t he i r ra ri t y a nd a l so becaus e of the geological force s e xe rt e d on t he a nt hrop ogenic material.
TH E CHO ICE AESTHETIC
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Th e a r c h a i c a e st he t i c of t he t hre e obj ects ar e j u s tif ie d in th e pe rsonna l c hoi c e of a non linea r h is to r y s c e n a r io. I wa n te d th e o b je c t s t o re pre se nt a si m pl e gest u r e , e s s e n tia l a n d uni ve rsa l . T he pe st l e , t he mort a r a n d th e v e s s e l re pre se nt a c ha i n of a c t i on. It i s a p o s itiv e c h o ice be c a use I a m t a l ki ng a b out a f ar f u tu r e w h e r e hum a ni t y i s st i l l a l i ve a nd is p er f or min g th e s a me ri t ua l s t ha n m i l l e ni um s ago : p r e p a r in g f o o d a nd gri ndi ng m a t e ri a l s. Onl y the m a t e r ia ls th e y a r e m a de of ha ve c ha nge d.
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PER PETUAT I NG I N DUSTRY
M I NI NG
A s n e w r e sourc e s wi l l a ppe a r, a ne w b r ea d o f min e r s w oul d e m e rge . Ne w i nst rum e n ts a n d g e s tu r e s a re l i ke l y t o a ppe a r but we ca n w o n d e r to w ha t e xt e nt t he y wi l l pe rpe t uat e t h e a r t o f min ing.
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De Re M e ta llic a (publ i she d i n 1556) 1 8 i s c onsi d e r e d a s th e b ibl e of m i ni ng : i t de sc ri be s m e t i c u lo u s ly th e e qui pm e nt a nd proc e sse s of ex t r a c tio n , r e f in in g a nd sm e l t i ng. It s a ut ho r Geo rg iu s A g r ic o la pra i se s t he a rt of m i ni ng . Aco or d in g to h im, e xpl oi t i ng E a rt hâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s re sources are o n e o f th e ma i n i ndust ri e s t ha t e l e va t e d m a n b y p r o v id in g t he m a t e ri a l s t o m a ke we a po n s w h ic h w o u ld ce a se hi m t o be vul ne ra bl e t o wi l d b e a s ts b u t a lso si m pl y ut e nsi l s for food. Mo r e o v e r th e me ta l dug out from E a rt h wa s t h e r a w ma te r ia l to m a ke t ool s use d t o e xc av at e a g a in . Th u s , at t hi s t i m e , m i ni ng wa s pe rp et u a te d a n d in tensi fi e d a s t he re sourc e e xt r a ct e d w a s f e e d ing t he i ndust ry i t se l f. fi g.40
18- Agricola, G. (Bauer G.) (1556) De Re Metallica (sourced in wikipedia: The book remained the authoritative text on mining for 180 years after its publication. It was also an important chemistry text for the period and is significant in the history of chemistry.)
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Th e n a r r a t i ve of t he bone m a rbl e pes tle is g r o u n d e d in 2 0 0 1 s ha de e pi sode of foot a nd mouth disea se. C u m br ia w a s th e w orst a ffe c t e d re gi on of UK. A total o f 7 millio n s h e ep a nd c a t t l e a re e st i m a t e d to have b ee n e x e c u te d to pre ve nt t he propa ga t i on of the virus . T h e c a r c a s s e s w e re burne d – i n ge ol ogi c a l t e rms , pref o ssilis e d a s n o tic e d by Ja n Z a l a si e wi c z 1 9 – a nd buried i n r ec ta n g u la r p its wi t h qui c kl i m e i n Gre a t Orton’s airf i e l d. T h i s s c e n a r io s p e cul a t e s t ha t t he ge ol ogi c a l proces s es ex e r te d to th is p ile of bone s woul d produc e the Cumb r i a n b o n e ma r b le. T hi s nove l a nd va l ua bl e - becaus e r ar e - r e s o u r c e w oul d be m i ne d i n fe w hundred thousan d y e a r s f r o m n o w e xc l usi ve l y i n Gre a t Orton.
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19- non recorded conversation.
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M AKING
PR O CE S S
T h e s p e c ime n s a re m a de out of c a t t l e b o n e s e mb e d d e d in j e sm oni t e , a m a t e ri a l u sed to ma k e f a k e m a rbl e .
T EC H N I Q U ES
C O LLEC TION OF PR OCESSED CUM BR IAN BON E M ARBLE AN D M ACHINES INVOLVED : LATHE, C NC M ILLING, SAW.
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“[…] Plastic gives him the euphoria of prestigious freewheeling through Nature” R. Barthes, Mythologies, Plastic.
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P la s tic s a r e c he a p, ubi qui t ous, ve rsa t ile. Ho we v e r, th is mat e ri a l e m bodi e d l a st c e nt ury an e n th r a llin g s ubst a nc e , t he a c c om pl i shm ent o f sc ie n c e a n d c he m i st ry t ha t Rol a nd Ba rt hes wo u ld n a me “ th e st uff of a l c he m y” . 2 0 On e o f th e s y mb o li c m a t e ri a l s t ha t l i ft e d up from n at u r e r e a c h e d la s t ye a r a a nnua l produc t i on of 2 8 0 m illio n to n e s worl dwi de . 2 1 In a n uni nt e nded m a n n e r, B a r th e s o ddl y a nt i c i pa t e d wha t wa s to o cc u r to p la s tic s - “ A m i ra c ul ous subst a nc e; a m i r a c le is a lw a y s a sudde n t ra nsform a t i on of nature”.
O ver the las t decades plas tics w ere the matter of a dis proportionate mas s production and cons umption that has provoke the P acific G arbage P atch, know n as w ell as the plas tic continent . D is covered in 1997, this immens e mas s of s ynthetic debris is the res ult of garbage that get s w ept up by ocean currents that lead to the pacific G yre. N ow adays , plas tics are cons idered as an environmental hazard but no country w ants to bear the res pons ibility of this floating litter that pres ent no traceability.
20- Barthes, R. (1972) Mythologies. London: Vintage. 21- Rocheman C. M. and Browne M. A. (2013) Classify plastic waste as hazardous, Nature, vol 494, p.169
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T his s c e n a r io fore c a st s i f not hi ng i s c ha nged t he c o min g y e a rs t ha t fl oa t i ng de bri s wi l l e vent ua lly s e ttle o n t he oc e a n-ground, 10,000 m und e r s e a - le v e l, l a ye ri ng i nt o a nove l synt h etic ea r th c r u s t n a m e d t he P P C (Pa c i fi c Pl as tic C r u s t) . Ac c o r d in g to P r Ci l l i e rs, duri ng a non-re c orded d is c u s s io n , th e pa c i fi c gyre i s si t ua t e d a b ove a c a lm z o n e a nd de bri s a re l i ke l y t o e ncount e r o p tima l c o ndi t i ons t o se di m e nt a nd be prese r v e d o v e r tim e .
D es pite being cons ider now as a rebuffed material, main s ubject in the current s us tainable dilemma, plas tics es teem w ill probably evolve in the future. Cons idering the current s tres s ing context of oil s hortage, w e can foretell that plas tic could become over time a valuable material.
â&#x20AC;&#x153; 2 0 1 2 : 2 8 0 M I L L I O N TO N N E S O F P L A S T I C P R O D U C E D G L O B A L LY â&#x20AC;? Classify plastic waste as hazardous, Nature, vol 494
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A lu min iu m produc t i on i s a not he r of the v er y c h a r a c te r is ti c Ant hropoge ni c i ndust ries wi t n e s s in g o u r p o w e r ove r e l e m e nt s.
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“Al u min u m is th e t hi rd i n a bunda nc e of a l l the el em e n ts in th e Ea rt h’s c rust a nd doe s not occu r na tiv e n a tu r a l l y” 2 2 . Si nc e t he m i d 1800s w e l e ar n t h o w to e x tra c t t he pure m e t a l from ores , t h e m o s t c o mmo n be i ng ba uxi t e a nd c ryol ite. T h e f ir s t c h e mic a l m e t hod de ve l ope d by De ville was q u ic k ly s h a d e d by t he e l e c t ro-c he m i c a l proce ss d is c o v e r e d s im ul t a ne ousl y by Pa ul Hé roult an d C h a r le s H a ll in t he l a t e 1880s. Si nc e t hen, al u min iu m h a s b ee n produc e d on a l a rge scale an d n o w its a n n u a l produc t i on e xc e e ds 35 mill i o n s to n s . 23 E v e n if a lu min iu m i s l a rge l y re c yc l e d, i t i s presen t in c o n s id e r a b l e qua nt i t i e s i n na t ura l e nvir o n me n t a n d n o ta bl y i n ri ve rs. Al um i ni um was te wh en s w e p t b y c urre nt s c re a t e ne w de posi t in r i v e r s d o w n s tr e a m. We c a n ima g in e in m e di um t e rm a ne w bre a d of
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pros pectors emerge in cons equence. A s a logical perpetuation of the actual practice of metal pros pection, thes e future ‘orpailleurs ’ 2 4 w ill s eek aluminum nuggets in rivers deltas . The aluminium ves s el, the third object of the collection, is the receptacle of the matter that w ill be ground.
22- Budgen N.F (1933) Aluminum and its alloys - their production, properties, and applications. London, Sir Isaac Pitman & sons, LTD. p.6. 23- Jan ZALASIEWICZ, Ryszard KRYZA, Mark WILLIAMS (2011) Mineral Evolution On Earth: From The Hadean To The Anthropocene. Mineralogia - special papers, Nº38. 24 Orpailleur stem from old French word ‘Harpailler’ (‘grasp’) assimilating ‘or’. The term corresponds to ‘Gold prospector’. Sourced in the Dictionnaire de l’Académie Française, 8th édition (1932-1935)
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M A KIN G
PR O CE S S
Al u m in iu m’s me lting poi nt : 660.3º C. I e a s ily re a c he d t hi s t e m pe ra t ure wo r k in g in th e f o rge . I got fa m i l i a r wi t h t he m a t e r ia l b e h a v io r a nd e xpe ri e nc e c onsc i ousl y t h is q u ite p a r tic ul a r se nsa t i on whe re you ar e i n c o n tr o l o v e r a n e l e m e nt .
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Ho we v e r, th e o b j e c t wa s e l a bora t e d i n a m o r e D I Y f r a me whe re t he t e c hni que s we re sl i g h tly a d ju s te d . My ga rde n wa s t urne d i nt o a wo r k s h o p w h e r e I e xpl ore d a ‘bri c ol a ge ’ v er si o n o f th e s a n d c a st i ng t e c hni que . P ewt e r b e c a me m y ra w m a t e ri a l , i t s l ower me ltin g p o in t (170–230 °C) be i ng m ore ad a p te d to my e qui pm e nt (a c a m pi ng ga s st o v e ) . O n c e th e pe wt e r m e l t e d, t he m e t a l was p o u r e d in a h ol e m a de be fore ha nd i n t he so i l a n d a p la s te r m oul d wa s pre sse d by ha nd t o c a s t th e o b je c t.
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C O N CLUSI O N fu rth e r
dev el opm ent s
T hroughout t he ye a r, I s tepped out of my comfort zone. I b oa rde d t he unfa m i l i a r fi e l d of geology and the complex concept of th e Ant hropoc e ne . I l e a rnt t o addres s my w ork to current relevant c onc e rns. I re ve a l e d m yse l f as a material-teller. My pra c t i c e i n de si gn ha s e volved from material led experimentations t o a re se a rc h l e d proc es s . Whils t it w as difficult to avoid rationa l i si ng t he proj e c t t oo much, this new method brought out the o pport uni t y t o i nve st i ga t e new materials . I explored new techniques a nd e xpa nde d t he sc ope of m y des ign practice. Th e c onc e pt of ge o-m i m i c ry is a great s ubject that des erve to be furth e r de ve l ope d. It i s re l e va nt for des ign practice becaus e it envis ions a n a l t e rna t i ve proc e ss t o m a ke new materials . A t t he be gi nni ng of t he proj ect, I projected that my w ork w ould be a ddre sse d t o a ge ne ra l a udi ence. I realized lately and even more in th e wri t i ng of t hi s re port t o what extent I w as elaborating a platform to e nga ge wi t h t he c om m uni t y of experts linked to the A nthropocene c onc e pt . We c a n a dm i t t o sa y t ha t Cra ft in the Anthropocene is a moral s tory. I t i nt e nds t o ra i se a wa re ne ss about the s hift that is happening now ad ays i n t he re l a t i onshi p be t ween human and nature. I be l i e ve t he c om m uni c a t i on of the project needs to be developed f urt he r. A vi de o woul d be t h e ideal media to narrate Cr aft in the An t hropoc e ne . To a nswe r m y i ni t i a l que st i on, I believe that in our novel era, civilisa t i on ha s st a rt e d t ra nsforming the s tandards of nature. The future r esourc e s wi l l a ffe c t c ra ft practices . Va l ue a nd e st e e m of m a n-m ade and indus trial materials w ill evolve a s t i m e a nd ge ol ogi c a l proces s es w ill exert on them their unique f orc e .
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RE S O U R C E S BI BL IO G RAPHY A gricola, G. (Ba ue r G . ) ( 1556) De Re M et allic a Transla ted by Herb er t Clar k Hoov er and Lou Henr y H o o v e r i n 1 9 5 0 f r o m t h e f i r s t l a t i n e d i t i o n o f 1 5 5 6 . D over pu blicatio ns, I nc . New- Yor k . B arth e s, R. (1 97 2) M y t hologies . Londo n: Vin tag e. B raung art, M.; McDonough, W. ( 2002) Cr adle t o C r a d l e : R e m a k i n g t h e Wa y We M a k e T h i n g s N orth Po int Pre ss B udge n N.F (19 33 ) A lum inum and it s alloy s - t heir p r o d u c t i o n , p r o p e r t i e s , a n d a p p l i c a t i o n s . Londo n, Sir Isaa c Pi t m an & s ons , LTD D e Wever P. (20 12 ) Tem ps de la t er r e, Tem ps de l ’ h o m m e . B i b l i o t h é q u e s S c i e n c e s , A l b i n M i c h e l . D unne , R. & Rab y F. ( 2001) Des ign Noir : The Sec r e t L i f e o f E l e c t r o n i c O b j e c t s . B asel: Birkh äu se r. Marsh G.P. (18 65 ) ‘M an and Nat ur e’ , r et it led ‘The E a r t h a s M o d i f i e d b y H u m a n a c t i o n ’ E -book availa ble from : < ht t p: / / book s . google. c o. uk/ b o o k s ? i d =q - 7 w E Q i 0 G j 0 C & p r i n t s e c =f r o n t c o v e r & r e d ir_esc=y# v=on ep ag e&q&f = f als e> [ ac c es s ed 13 M a y 2 0 1 3 ] Mircea Eliad e (1 96 3) M y t h and Realit y. Londo n: Ge org e Allen & Unwin lt d
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H ow es, P. a nd La ug hlin Z ( 2012) M at er ial m at t er s , n e w m a t e r i a l s i n d e s i g n B lack d og pu blishin g, London UK.
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B runo L ato ur (2 011 ) Wait ing f or G aia. Com pos ing t h e c o m m o n w o r l d t h r o u g h a r t s a n d p o l i t i c s . A lectu re a t the Fre nc h I ns t it ut e, London, Nov em b e r 2 0 11 f o r t h e l a u n c h i n g o f S P E A P ( t h e S c i e n c e s P o progr a m in a rts & p olit ic s ) Availab le fro m: <h ttp: / / www. br uno- lat our. f r / s it es / de f a u l t / f i l e s / 1 2 4 - G A I A - L O N D O N - S P E A P _ 0 . p d f > [ a c cessed 13 May 20 13 ]
TH ESIS / D I S S E RTAT I O N Mat t hew Ma lpa ss (20 12) , Cont ex t ualis ing Cr it ic al D e s i g n : To w a r d s a Ta x o n o m y o f C r i t i c a l P r a c t i c e i n P roduct Design . P hd the sis, Unp ub lis hed, Not t ingham Tr ent Univ er s i t y.
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C hristian Sch wäg er l ( 2013) Ant hr opo- s c ene #1 : F r o m R o c k s t o T h o u g h t s [ I n t e r n e t ] N e x t N a t u r e . A p r i l 201 3. Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / www. nex t nat ur e. net / 201 3 / 0 4 / a n t h r o p o - s c e n e - 1 - f r o m - r o c k s - t o - t h o u g h t s / > [ a c ce ssed 14 May 2013] E llis, E. (20 13 ) The long ant hr opoc ene - Thr ee M i l l e n n i a o f h u m a n s r e s h a p i n g t h e E a r t h . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / t hebr eak t hr ough. or g/ ind e x . p h p / p r o g r a m s / c o n s e r v a t i o n - a n d - d e v e l o p m e n t / t h e - l o n g anth rop ocen e/> [ ac c es s ed 15 M ay 2013] Lea vin g o ur ma rk : Fos s ils of t he f ut ur e ( 3 nov. 2 0 1 2 ) B B C S c i e n c e a n d E n v i r o n m e n t . av aila ble from: <ht t p: / / www. bbc . c o. uk / news / s c i e n c e - e n v i r o n m e n t - 2 0 1 5 4 0 3 1 > [acce ssed 14 May 2013] Lea vin g o ur ma rk : W hat will be lef t of our c it ies ( 1 n o v. 2 0 1 2 ) B B C S c i e n c e a n d E n v i r o n m e n t . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / www. bbc . c o. uk / news / s c i e n c e - e n v i r o n m e n t - 2 0 1 5 4 0 3 0 > [acce ssed 14 May 2013]
P au line Newma n ( 1998) M iddle Eas t s y nt het ic r o c k , m a d e 4 , 0 0 0 y e a r s a g o B BC n ews world . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / news . bbc . c o. uk / 1/ hi/ wor l d / m i d d l e _ e a s t / 1 2 0 7 8 3 . s t m > [acce ssed 13 May 2013] Z a lasiewicz, J. ; W illiam s , M . ; St eff en, W. ; Cr u t z e n , P. ( 2 0 1 0 ) T h e N e w Wo r l d o f t h e A n t h r o p o c e n e . E nviron men tal sc ienc e and t ec hnology / Vol. 44 , n º 7 , p 2 2 2 8 . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / pubs . ac s . or g/ doi/ f ull/ 10 . 1 0 2 1 / e s 9 0 3 11 8 j > [ a c c e s s e d 1 4 M a y 2 0 1 3 ] Tr an sp are ncy : T he G r eat Pac if ic G ar bage Pat c h [ I n t e r n e t ] M a y 2 0 0 9 . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / www. good. is / pos t s / t r ans p a r e n c y - t h e - g r e a t - p a c i f i c - g a r b a g e - p a t c h / > [acce ssed 14 May 2013] A tan talising pro s pec t : Ex ot ic but us ef ul m et als s u c h a s t a n t a l u m a n d t i t a n i u m a r e a b o u t t o b e c o m e ch ea p a nd ple nti f ul, The Ec onom is t , Febr uar y 1 6 t h 2 0 1 3 . Availa ble from: <ht t p: / / www. ec onom is t . c om / new s / s c i e n c e - a n d - t e c h n o l o g y / 2 1 5 7 1 8 4 7 - e x o t i c - u s e f u l - m e t als-su ch -tan talu m - and- t it anium - ar e- about - bec o m e - c h e a p > [ a c c e s s e d 1 4 M a y 2 0 1 3 ] F o ot a nd Mou th D is eas e in Cum br ia – 2001 , Vi s i t C u m b r i a , 2 0 0 1 . A c ce ssible from: < ht t p: / / www. v is it c um br ia. c om / f o o t - a n d - m o u t h - d i s e a s e - i n - c u m b r i a / > [ a c c e s s e d 1 4 M a y 201 3]
WEBSITES
CO NS ULT E D
http://www.a nth ropoc ene. inf o/ en/ hom e
h t t p : / / w w w. i n s t i t u t e o f m a k i n g . o r g . u k /
http://www.a rminlink e. c om / alpi/
h t t p : / / w w w. s u p e r - c o l l i d e r. c o m /
http://www.d un ne andr aby. c o. uk /
h t t p : / / u n d e r t o m o r r o w s s k y. l i a m y o u n g . o r g /
H au s d er Ku lture n der Welt http://www.h kw.d e/
h t t p : / / w w w. t o m o r r o w s t h o u g h t s t o d a y. c o m /
IGBP (Inte rna tion al geos pher e- Bios pher e pr og r a m m e ) http://www.ig bp .net /
AND MORE...
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EXH IBITION S T he Anth rop ocen e p r ojec t - An opening . Ber lin, Ha u s d e e r K u l t u r e n d e r We l t . 10 jan ua ry 2 01 3 - 1 3 januar y 2013. A n initia tive of Ha us der Kult ur en der Welt in c oop e r a t i o n w i t h t h e M a x - P l a n c k - G e s e l l s c h a f t , D e u t s c h e s Museu m, the Rache l Car s on Cent er f or Env ir onm e n t a n d S o c i e t y, M u n i c h a n d t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r A d v a n c e d S usta ina bility Stud ies , Pot s dam . D unne A. a nd Rab y F. ( 2013) Unit ed M ic r o Kingdom s ( U M K ) : A D e s i g n F i c t i o n . Londo n, De sig n Mu s eum . 1s t M ay - 26 augus t 201 3 . Liam Yo un g (20 12 ) U nder Tom or r ow Sk y. Eindhove n , M U a r t s p a c e . D u t c h D e s i g n We e k , o c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 . P erman en t Colle ctio n, London, Br it is h M us eum . T he In stitu te o f Making - G r and O pening. London. 1 6 M a r c h 2 0 1 3
R A D IO PRO G RAMS P atric k De Wever : D es his t oir es de c aillou ( 2012 ) P r o d u c e d b y Z o é Va r i e r. P a r i s , F r a n c e I n t e r, ‘ N o u s aut res’, 5 o cto be r, 60m in, podc as t . Availa ble from : <http: / / www. f r anc eint er. f r / em is s io n - n o u s - a u t r e s - d e s - h i s t o i r e s - d e - c a i l l o u x > [ a c c e s s e d 1 7 may 2 01 3]
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TAL KS Dialogu e b etwe en Jo hn Tr es c h and J an Zalas iewi c z ( 2 0 1 3 ) I s t h e A n t h r o p o c e n e … C o s m o l o g y ? B e r l i n , Haus Der Ku lture n d er Welt , dur ing t he Ant hr opoc e n e p r o j e c t - a n o p e n i n g . 1 0 j a n u a r y 2 0 1 3 . Availa ble from: <http : / / www. hk w. de/ en/ pr ogr am m / 2 0 1 3 / a n t h r o p o z a e n / m u l t i m e d i a _ a n t h r o p o z a e n / v i d e o _ ant hro po za en /vid eo _ant hr opoz aen. php> [ ac c es s e d 1 4 M a y 2 0 1 3 ] Dast on, L . (20 13 ) Objec t s : a r oc k and a f loppy dis c , B e r l i n , H a u s d e r K u l t u r e n d e r We l t , d u r i n g t h e A n t hropo ce ne pro ject - an opening. J anuar y 2013. F iona Ra by, (2 01 3) Des ign O v er t im e | Des ign Fic ti o n , L o n d o n , D e s i g n M u s e u m . M a y 2 0 1 3 . Z oe Lau gh lin (2 01 2) The Per f or m at iv it y of M at t er. L o n d o n , WO R K g a l l e r y. 2 6 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2 .
FI L MS B lood dia mon d (20 06) Dir ec t ed by Edwar d Zwic k , Wa r n e r B r o s s , D V D , 1 4 3 m i n I nto Ete rnity (2 01 0) Dir ec t ed by M ic hael M ads en, F i l m s Tr a n s i t I n t e r n a t i o n a l , D V D , 7 5 m i n Manufa ctu red La nd s c apes ( 2 0 0 6 ) Directed by Jennifer Baichwal, photography by Ed Burtynsky, Z eit geist Films, 90 m in.
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fig.1: Thib au lt-Pica z o Y. ( 2013) Pebble fig.2: Thib au lt-Pica z o Y. ( 2013) Tim es c ale - The E arth â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ge olo gical h is t or y fig.3: Thib au lt-Pica z o Y. ( 2013) The ant hr poc ene era, p ote ntia l sta rting dat es . fig.4: Thib au lt-Pica z o Y. ( 2013) The gr eat ac c eler a tion. sou rce : igb p.n et / St eff en et al. , 2005, globa l change an d th e Ea rt h Sy s t em , Spr inger, p132- 133 fig 5: Thib au lt-Pica z o Y. ( 2013) A c los er v iew of a manu facture d a lumin ium nugget . fig.6 to 9: Stills from t he m ov ie I nt o et er nit y, dir ected by Micha el Ma dsen ( 2010) Film s Tr ans it I nt er na tional, DVD, 75 min. fig.10: Th e p erio dic t able. ex t r ac t ed f r om M at er ial mat t ers, ne w mate rials in des ign by Howes , P. and Laughlin Z. Bla ck do g publis hing. fig.11 & 1 2: Bu rtyn sky, E. ( 2006) s t ills f r om M anu fact ured La nd scap es Dir ec t ed by J ennif er Baic hwa l [online imag e] Ava ilable f r om < ht t p: / / www. m ongr el media.co m/pre ss_in f o/ ?id= 1203> [ Ac c es s ed 21 M a y 2013] fig.13: Goo gle Earth ( 2013) J waneng open pit dia mond mine - Africa. ( geo- c oor dinat es : - 24. 535412 , 24.6826 74 ) fig.14: Goo gle Earth ( 2013) M ir M ine, Rus sia. Ope n d iamo nd pit . ( geo- c oor dinat es : 62.5278 83 ,113 .99 27 67) fig.15: Goo gle Earth ( 2013) Diav ik diam ond m ine, C anada (ge o-coo rdin at es : 64. 563043, - 110. 177078 ) Goog le Ea rth. fig.16: Goo gle Earth ( 2013) Car r ar a m ar ble quar ries, Italia (ge o-coo r dinat es : 44. 095229, 10. 13385 8 ) Goog le Ea rth. fig.17: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) M iner al ev olu tion. From d ata co llec t ed on : J an ZALASI EW I CZ, R yszard KRYZA, Ma r k W I LLI AM S ( 2011) M iner al E volutio n On Earth : Fr om The Hadean To The An throp ocen e. Min era logia - s pec ial paper s , NÂş 38. fig.18: Cuvier George (1831) Stratotype [online image] Available from <http : / / www. m nhn. f r / m nhn/ geo/ s t r a t o type/co up ecuvier.h tm l> [ Ac c es s ed 21 M ay 2013] fig.19: un kn own . [on line im age] Av ailable f r om < http ://yesen iatp .tum blr. c om / pos t / 32447894911> [A ccesse d 2 3 Ma y 2 013] fig.20: Cha rlotte Bal les t er os . [ online im age] Available from <http : / / www. c har lot t eballes t er os . com/ > [Acce ssed 23 M ay 2013] fig.21: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) Br ic k s f os s ils fig.22: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) f os s ilis ed t ex t ile fig.23: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) Cit y s edim ent fig.24: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) Alum inium r oc k fig 25: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) The ant hr opogen i c specime ns fig.26 : so urce u nknown [ online im age] geologic al processe s. Temp era t ur e and pr es s ur e. fig.27: Th iba ult-Picaz o Y. ( 2013) Ant hr opogenic specime ns fig.28 (p.3 8): Thib au lt - Pic az o Y. ( 2013) Cit y f os s il
fig.29 (p.40): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) fossilised textile f i g . 3 0 ( p . 4 2 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) Cars minerals fig.31 (p.43): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) aluminium nugget fig.32 (p.44): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) aluminium rock f i g . 3 3 ( p . 4 4 ) : : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) p l a s t i c r o c k fig.34 (p.45): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) fossilised textile f i g . 3 5 ( p . 4 5 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) p l a s t i c c o r e f i g . 3 6 , 3 7 & 3 8 ( p . 4 7 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) T h e pestle, the PPC mortar and the vessel. f i g . 3 9 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) G r i n d i n g fig.40,41,42: Agricola, G. (1556) Engravings extracted from De Re Metallica. fig.43 (p.52): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) Future marble f i g . 4 4 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) T h e b o n e p e s t l e fig.45: Unknown [online image] Foot and mouth disease. fig.46: Aerial photo by Simon Ledingham. [online image] Great Orton airfield burial site in 2005. Available from <http://www.visitcumbria.com/foot-andmouth-disease-in-cumbria/> [Accessed 21 May 2013] f i g . 4 6 : G o o g l e E a r t h a e r i a l v i e w. ( 2 0 1 3 ) C o r n w a l l China clay quarries. f i g . 4 7 ( p . 5 6 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) c o l l e c t i o n o f processed cumbrian bone marble f i g . 4 8 ( p . 5 8 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) C u m b r i a n Bone Marble, Close view f i g . 4 9 ( p . 6 0 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) p l a s t i c s f i g . 5 0 t o 5 2 ( p . 6 1 t o 6 3 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) PPC Mortar f i g . 5 3 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) E m b e d d e d p l a s t i c experimentation. f i g . 5 4 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) N y l o n a n d s i l i c o n e e x p e r i m e n t *s . f i g . 5 5 ( p 6 6 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) m e l t e d m e t a l fig.56 (p66): Thibault-Picazo Y. (2013) Aluminium vessel fig.57: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs D i v i s i o n Wa s h i n g t o n ( 1 9 4 0 ) G o l d p r o s p e c t o r p o u r i n g water through his rocker box, Pinos Altos, New Mexi c o [ o n l i n e i m a g e ] Av a i l a b l e f r o m <h t t p : / / c o m m o n s . wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_mining_rocker_box. jpg/> [Accessed 21 May 2013] f i g . 5 8 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) A l u m i n i u m n u g g e t s f i g . 5 9 t o 6 3 : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) R e s e a r c h a n d making process of the aluminium vessel. f i g . 6 4 ( p 7 2 , 7 3 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) A l u m i n i u m vessel. f i g . 6 5 ( p 7 4 , 7 5 ) : T h i b a u l t - P i c a z o Y. ( 2 0 1 3 ) A l u m i n i u m nuggets.
A C K N O W LEDG M ENT
Ma ny t ha nks t o my tutors , Caroline Till and K ieren J ones for t he i r de di c a t i on t hrou gh thes e tw o years . Dr Ja n Z a l a si e wi c z , Pr. Jan Cilliers for their precious help. Johnny, Me l vi n a nd Ri c ky and Billy for their help. Ma t t Ma l pa ss, St e phe n Ha ywa rds,
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Phi l i ppa Wa gne r, Ne l l y Be n-Ha youn, T ha nks t o m y fa m i l y, specialy my parents for their s upport. Ni c ol a s Ri got , HĂŠ l e ne Combal-Weis s , M as ami Lavault, Emilie Gre ni e r, Am y Ra dc l i ffe and my fellow s for their s upport.
Š 2013 Yesenia Thibault-Picazo all rights reserved Printed in May 2013, London. Central Saint Martins University of the Arts of London. contact: +44 7 530 778 915 yeseniatp@gmail.com http://yeseniatp.com