#more-than-human

[dmcreativestudio]

Neil Harbisson

[igigisaggi]

Taking Action for Earthly Survival Pt. 1:

Forno Vagabondo

Dear fellow (more-than-)humans,

do you remember this Beyond Crisis Conference we talked about in our last episode? We met this incredible (more-than-)human called Flora. They - Flora and her microbes - took action and gave birth to a community oven that is set to travel through Italian villages and bring together people of all kinds. For us, this is one of these fundamental projects to bring about the transformation our society so desperately needs. In order to emancipate ourselves from the industrial food system that is destroying our health and that of our fellow living beings we need to bake bread together. It is through this seemingly mundane process that we learn how to live together in a mutual aid relationship with fellow living beings (e.g. microbes). We also need to bake bread together in order to re-connect with local (more-than-)human knowledge, as it is through this process that we re-democratize our communal living together.

And yes: Baking bread takes quite a time. It shatters our rigid timetables of productiveness that are solely feeding dead capital rather than living communities. It hands back time to exchange ideas and to discuss and shape our common futures. Transformational ideas like degrowth or commons not only need time but also an oven to take shape and gain energy. Ultimately, this oven needs to be a vagabond. It needs to travel without restrictions. This is what the Forno Vagabondo is about. It is not only baking breads but also futures of (more-than-)human commoning. 

Most of the heroic ancient and contemporary stories told in Western culture are “about all the sticks spears and swords, the things to bash and poke and hit with, the long, hard things, but we have not heard about the thing to put things in, the container for the thing contained”, as famous science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin reminds us. 

Instead of telling another of these phallic stories, we want to open up the dancefloor as a carrier bag. A carrier bag for stories of transformational futures. This music video is the beginning of a journey. From the Forno Vagabondo in Italy we set out to other transformational projects. We want to weave their stories of transformation all over Europe into a giant basket. A basket which we can live off in the future.

“If it is a human thing to do to put something you want, because it's useful, edible, or beautiful, into a bag, or a basket, or a bit of rolled bark or leaf, or a net woven of your own hair, or what have you, and then take it home with you, home being another, larger kind of pouch or bag, a container for people, and then later on you take it out and eat it or share it or store it up for winter in a solider container or put it in the medicine bundle or the shrine or the museum, the holy place, the area that contains what is sacred, and then next day you probably do much the same again--if to do that is human, if that's what it takes, then I am a human being after all. Fully, freely, gladly, for the first time.”

Let’s follow Ursula K. Le Guin once again and be (more-than-)human. Let’s put the bread in the oven together. Let it rise. Take it out. Put it in the basket that is our carrier bag. Repeat from dancefloor to dancefloor.

i gigi saggi

[thaoeatworld]

Dining With Dogs: More-than-Human Relations in Food Media | Platypus

[cleekleequlee]

More than “more-than-human centered design”

Earlier this year when presenting in EASA 2024 with anthropologists and peer design researchers, I (after my presentation done and a drink in the kitchen at 11pm Hong Kong time) responded rather strongly to the idea of more-than-human design as “more-than-human centered” design. Example is to consider how wildboar moves around and create tunnel in urban spaces. At that time I cannot quite articulate where that sentiment is from. I still cannot today, but finds two reference helpful in explaining my opinion, that more-than-human design, or more accurately posthumanist design, is not just design for more-than-human.

One reference is Alex Wilkie’s co-authored paper on speculative design brief. Knowing his strong theoretical foothold in process theory gave me the confidence to read the paper in detail and multiple times. What I take away so far is that the design brief meant by Wilkie and authors is not only concerned with the outcome of design but also the process of design. This is key for understanding their concept of “design event”. This is under the premise that designers don’t start the design process knowing exactly what they want to design. Rather than “allowing drift” which is the idea of “design drift”, Wilkie takes a more radical position seeing this formulation of design brief as part of design process. This the design brief includes the intention of design and instructs processes for designers to map the network with existing and absent (more-than-human) actors. Theoretical conceptualization proceeds the forming of brief for articulation through design. In an other word, theory not only serves as providing the mechanism of design (as designers always go to psychology for ways to do something), but is the fundamental reason and drive for design articulation.

The next reference comes from a quick read of Annemarie Mol’s latest book Eating in Theory. I have yet to wade through the whole book. But based on the first chapter where Mol introduced the intention and structure of the book, it surprisingly shed some light on my research. In this new book the topic Mol explored is eating - an mundane, too ordinary experience that everyone cannot do without for every 12 hours they are alive on earth. Mol sets off to challenge the separation between survival and living, between labor and actualization which is very much in line with my idea of practice theory. What makes my eyes wide open with excitement is how she does that by reframing the not-worth-mentioning experience of eating. There is nothing new actively being done or designed, but this reframing is enlightening for us to take another look at all the everyday experience we have and see them in new, philosophical lights. In a nuanced way this reframing to me is connected to what Foucault and Braidotti always does, and according to (the amusingly mysterious) Barad, another way of spacetimemattering. If we call any intentional doing with a purpose as design, then Mol’s approach is also design with changed theoretical lens (from Hannah Arendt / Aristotelian) division of body and mind (labor, work and politics) to something else. A missing step if there is to call it design is to prove that such reframing gets to people’s mind, and make concrete, material change in their doing, even if it is just to feel how their throat is in touch with the other - plants and animals that we call food. I was definitely inspired by a talk by design researcher /to-be anthropologist Duan Zhipeng last week that what interests him more is not doing any form of intervention directly - like me he is no believer that the top-down approach would work, but to better “describe”. In this sense, the cosmetic work of design - I have graphic design in mind - can also be critical in forming new ways of thinking, and a lot of the top-down structures that we have relied so much in the past won’t be too helpful in achieving this vision of graphic design.

So design - I’ll use the term posthumanist design for now, is not about more-than-human centered. It is the reshuffling the conceptual construction of the world for everyone, from designers (in Wilkie’s case of attuning to MTH as part of design brief) to people who eats (which is everyone who is alive). If this can be done in the most mundane experience of eating, it can certainly be done for other groups - certain professions, certain geographies, certain practices. Finding the existing contact with MTH or stage such contact, reframe the experience as transformative learning opportunities (Mezirow) to prepare for the conditions of social change (Manzini).

ps. Some of the discussion on the relationship between theory and empirical in introductory chapter also reminds me of the many methodological books by Matz Alvesson where the empirical is not only for applying theory but for generating novel theories.

I hope I will get more thinking disturbed in reading Mol - I’m in discussion with peer PhD student to do a book club on Mol’s two books. I also am curious how other design students think of them.

References:

Wilkie, A. and M. Michael (2023). "The aesthetics of more-than-human design: speculative energy briefs for the Chthulucene." Human–Computer Interaction: 1-13.

Mol, A. (2021). "Eating in Theory."

Alvesson, M. and D. Kärreman (2011). Qualitative research and theory development : mystery as method. London, Sage.

Alvesson, M. and K. Sköldberg (2009). Reflexive methodology : new vistas for qualitative research. London ;, SAGE.

[cleekleequlee]

Guitar, mushroom and apples

Among the many signals I sent to the cosmos, this one was liked by my friend who also had experience working in corporate. “So that resonates!” And it leads to a few more thoughts.

This paper I screen capped and posted on instagram stories (Gibson & Warren, 2020) was about temporalities of forest. Interestingly the authors situate this paper in the upstream tracing of the value chain of guitar-making which is the supply of mature wood. A small group of people who dedicated themselves in planting for the future - sowing saplings of trees which have long growth cycles thus don’t fit the fast-harvesting, industrial monoculture plantation, and take care of them till end of their lives. These people are both loggers and m keen forest lovers at the same time - there are indeed more conflicts and ethical dilemmas at practical level! Between necessity of logging and love of trees planting for future was taken as a resolution.

One among the many countless thoughts I had about my PhD topic is (at least partly) about how to incorporate the more-than-human into the everyday grounded activities of organizations. I had a lot of thoughts and doubt that how can this incorporation actually be done by many companies who already happens “only in the office and in the meeting room”. That leads me to think of where the more-than-human actually already participating in the economy or company activity - they must be somewhere as our world doesn’t exist in vacuum. One quick and direct answer is the raw material that many industries work with. In the case of to the guitar industry in this paper, indeed “nature” still exists and at the very source of value chain when people cutting trees down. For these people doing the actual cutting, as we can imagine how they live at the border of forests, going in when it’s humid and misty, enjoy cold stream to wash off sweat and dust, and go home in golden sunshine, affective relationships with the forest are developed. This affective relationship leads to balancing act of planting over an expanded temporal horizon. This complicated but reciprocal relationship has been well captured by many ecofeminist writers including Ariel Salleh, and is a key connection that I see between ecofeminism and practice theory.

But this affect can hardly be passed down to other parts of the value chain. Captured in the above screenshot is the works, or practices that as a fact erase this affective relationship and eliminates its traces. People doing it are not evil… people like me who has grown up being educated about the abstractions of the world didn’t even know how the tree world actually exists (apart of being aesthetic and academic objects).

This work of elimination done through “sumif()”s and pivot tables in excel as a key step of disconnecting us, the broader human society from the living world of more-than-human brings new light to another work that also works on supply chain - Anna Tsing’s mushroom! My previous wonder about the book was - funny enough and against my expectation - positive for the capitalism! I see how different patches of cultures and communities - from foragers in forests to gifting managers in Japan - are connected because of this chain of Matsutake. Translation, according to Tsing, works as adhesives, counters the friction on the border, connects these people and makes it work. But one thing that Tsing doesn’t articulate maybe because of its stronger opinion of criticism, is how these translation works erase and eliminate the liveliness of the more-than-human being. Mushrooms are shipped but not the excitement, the moment of ecstasy hitting by its trace, the disappointment of false alarm, the rewarding feeling accompanied by tiredness. That translation is part of the process of objectification and commodification. That is the work I personally participated in the past. After all, translation is never lossless.

With the 15 minutes I have left before morning chaos kicks in I will not be able to delve deeply in how globalization as a phenomenon expertly described by Tsing is deeply rooted in economic 101 that is division of labor and the fundamental mechanism of trading. With this logic we have indeed done really well and pushed it to the extreme that the globe can no longer hold us. But from above analysis it seems globalization, or the very starting idea of “get 1 apple and 1 orange by trade is better than growing my own apple” without other balancing mechanisms will lead to our situation - supermarket shelves of apples and oranges and pears and watermelon and kiwi and this and that berries … all at the same time no matter which season, placeless and rootless. They used to be on trees, heavy, low-hanging, and shared by birds. In seeing them as lives and enjoying abundance, can we really have it all?

Apple tree in Campbell, Tasmania

[project30s]

Exploring ecological corn/techno-cornical, more-than-human tool libraries, and Community Technology Building

i want to explore new perspectives and practices for designing public libraries that prioritize ecological thinking, restorative justice, and community agency building. We will challenge the human-centered design approach and consider how libraries can become more-than-human institutions that promote social and environmental well-being.

some questions i have:

Ecological Libraries: How can libraries incorporate principles of ecological philosophy in their spaces and operations? What does it mean to design libraries that move like jellyfish, share resources like trees, and cultivate living collections like sourdough starters?Restorative Justice: How can libraries promote restorative justice practices that aim to repair harm, build relationships, and create safer communities? What role can libraries play in supporting alternative justice systems and addressing social inequalities?Prototyping Failure: How can libraries create a culture of experimentation and learning that embraces failure as an essential part of the “ innovation “ process? How can libraries facilitate community technology building that empowers people to solve local problems and develop new skills?Community Agency Building: How can libraries foster community agency and help people to reclaim their sense of agency in the face of systemic challenges and technological determinism? What are the best practices for engaging underserved populations and promoting social inclusion?Thinking in terms of ecological philosophy can help libraries design spaces that are more sustainable, adaptable, and resilient. By considering the interconnectedness of all elements within a library, including the physical space, technology, programming, and community partnerships, libraries can create environments that support both human and non-human flourishing. The ecology of libraries in the 21st century involves recognizing the complex relationships between the library and its surroundings, and working to create a more equitable and inclusive ecosystem→ is there a better word for ecosystem? that supports the needs of all users.Designing libraries that move like jellyfish could involve creating spaces that are adaptable, flexible, and responsive to the needs of the community, while also being able to shift and change with the waves/changes in temperature. Checking out sourdough starters to patrons could encourage community building (bread homes) and sustainable practices, while also promoting creativity and experimentation. Transforming makerspaces into places that don't just support capitalism could involve incorporating principles of social and environmental justice, as well as providing resources and tools for community-led initiatives that prioritize the well-being of people and the planet.With tools and tech and making spaces / make/space: take time, no time that requires some sort of winner and loser (where the “losers” have no shelter or food under capital...or worse, no agency)A more-than-human library recognizes the interconnectedness of all beings By inviting in other species, it creates a space for community vitality and growth This type of library also serves as a platform for restorative justice practices–It can help marginalized and underserved populations by providing a safe and inclusive space for all beings–the library becomes a place for cross-species learning and collaboration The concept of the more-than-human library extends beyond just physical space and can inform policy and decision making a more-than-human library can provide opportunities for community engagement and education around environmental sustainability and ecological awareness, empowering individuals to take action to improve their own lives and the health of the planet - Prototyping failure and agency building through community technology building Failure allowance involves creating new and joining existing networks that allow for broader reach, integration of all that can be learned/created in library spaces and encourages a diverse range of users. Sorta thinking about how we can invite other species into collaborative processes with our library too (bananas and corn?)–🥧 Creative spaces help libraries find new ways to impact their communities. Public libraries need to encourage communities to get together and build new things that are relevant to their communities. Although research, assessment and planning are fundamental to keeping a dynamic creative program going at a library, I would also argue that conscious and collaborative curation of spaces that permit failure are super important to how a library/community can grow (and participate in restorative justice practices? This is a bigger task to weave into our goals…)🥧 Building a collaborative network of tools–expanding our tool lending library–can make a variety of tools available to users without overloading one set of staff with becoming experts/taking up space at one library location (it also expands access?). Perhaps we could even work to create a larger network of tools by making partnerships with creative-supporting organizations or other library systems with makerspaces. (one space with high res 3D scanners, one space with an infrastructure to provide heavier equipment like lathes or drill presses or flour mills or culinary kitchens??)

[ramskeleton]

fled twitter because it was bad for brain but man, gotta say, entomology and especially critical bee twitter went hard. never was great at connecting on tumblr but now that i’m here again, wondering if there are political ecologists/(more-than) human geographers/pollinator people on this website, and if so, hit me up! right now i’m especially interested in thinking about how concepts like metabolic rift can help us understand biodiversity crises esp. in regards to the relationship between managed/domesticated and wild populations (Tony Weis’s “Ghosts and Things: Agriculture and Animal Life really kickstarted this for me and I think these ideas can be relevant for thinking about pollinators) 

[dmcreativestudio]

Marta Bogdańska - SHIFTERS

Presenting a history from the perspective of animals.

The challenge was inspired by the work of Eric Baratay, one of the most important figures in the (broadly defined) ‘Animal Studies’, and it triggered Bogdańska to start an obsessive mode of collecting and archiving materials about animals used in various public services in times of war – as agents, spies, soldiers, kamikaze and more.

Taking into consideration the history of animal rights and animal liberation, the artist asks: What agency do animals really have?