Thesis Faculty
{spawn}
Botan is a speculative universe in which a society of humans cohabit and collaborate with nature and other living organisms on the Planet Earth. Botan exists in a not so distant future, where the ecological impacts of the global economy have reached such extremes that they can no longer be ignored. Due to the dangerous and irreparable effects of mining materials from the earth, the production of computers fabricated from nonrenewable resources has halted. These devices have been repurposed and absorbed within society as vessels for biological growth and energy harvesting. Increased scientific inquiry, research, and innovation have made it possible to begin to cultivate bio-material and renewable energy on a mass scale in the production of the modern personal computer.
spawn is a generative currency with societal stipulations as to how value is accumulated and passed from one hand to another. At the beginning of their exchange cycle, spawn resembles seeds. The value each seed produces is dependent on the shareholder’s ability to properly tend to the land in which the seed is planted. spawn develop into microorganisms, plants, and fungi, which mature into intelligent life forms.
In exchange for continued nurturing and protection, spawn offer natural resources, which contribute not only in the production of sustenance and architecture, but also in the creation of analog computational devices. The output of these machines are variable relative to the input of environmental conditions and as impacted by the occupation of humans. Contrary to its predecessors, the modern computers of Botan are composed of living materials that can decompose and regenerate. Members of the Botan society share a responsibility to steward the land, for without this nurturing and attention, computers would cease to function or exist in service of humans, resulting in the ultimate collapse of the economy.
Nature and technology are perpetually entangled, and must coexist in mutual symbiosis for the survival of the human species.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Caleb Stone, who first brought the concept of analog computation into my vocabulary. Iz Nettere for conversations on ontological agility and bio design support. Sammie Veeler for introducing me to Fragments of An Anarchist Anthropology. Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, for providing a supportive space to “push the edges” of my project. Aaron De Lanty for mold making advice. Aashish Gadani & Sam Lavigne for Raspberry Pi support. The Design Lab staff for letting me do weird stuff always.