NOTES FROM THE SEA

SPECULATIVE DESIGN

Promoting critical cultures of anticipation using posthuman scenarios and participatory design methods.

“Identify and challenge the narratives we take for granted, so that we can create and defend a world that is accountable to its own future.”

PROJECT BACKGROUND

“Notes from the sea, 2218” imagines a future marine ecosystem that has been altered through anthropogenic (originating in human activity) influence. Through design interventions that create a critical conversation of marine biology, based on science and imagination, the project aims to break down our narratives towards the environment and planet that people take for granted and push them to think beyond these deeply embedded beliefs.

The design intervention is divided into two parts: A speculative object of a future marine biologist's field journal, and a participatory activity of a card game.

PROJECT INFO

Duration
Jan.2018 - May.2018, Sep.2019, May.2020

Presented
‍Anticipation 2019 conference
Primer 2020 conference

Team
Sam Ma, Renee Albrecht-Mallinger, Sameer Tendolkar, Wanying Zhu

My role
‍Scope project, Visual design and storytelling, marine ecology research

01 SPECULATIVE OBJECT - THE FIELD JOURNAL

The field journal contains sketches of marine creatures from a future marine ecosystem that has been altered largely by human activities(e.g. pollution, marine trash, microplastics, oil spill, and overfishing, etc.). To be able to thrive in this environment, these creatures went through major behavioral, physiological, and morphological adaptations.

As a speculative object, the field journal aims to provide a zoom-in view of an alternative future. In this future, marine lives are adapting and thriving in a human-altered environment, instead of ceasing to exist, like we often told. Seeing familiar creatures take different forms will also trigger audiences’ interests and help them immerse in this alternative future we have created.

Creatures

African Lionfish

Environmental change: water pollution, decreased light transmission

Response type: physiological, morphological

Details: African lionfish have evolved longer and bioluminescent fin rays to attract prey in the dark environment, and the thin projection of the rays can also help them sense danger.

Amazon Hermit crab

Environmental change: marine trash, ocean acidification

Response type: behavioral

Details: calcium-carbonate-based shells can no longer be preserved in a more acidic ocean. Luckily, hermit crabs find plastic trash as the substitute. One particular type of hermit crab favors amazon products because of its durability and lightweight.

Pink Meanie Jellyfish

Environmental change: marine trash, extinction of key predator

Response type: behavioral, morphological

Details: pink meanie Jellyfish’s number exploded after their primary predator sea turtles extinct. Over generations, they also developed camouflage that mimics the plastic bags, which helps them hide among the floating trash bags to avoid other predators.

See all creatures...

02 Participatory activity- the card game

The card game is designed to facilitate participants come up with their own future marine creatures. It is intended to help participants take on the role of the “future marine biologist” with tangible and simple tools, and develop their own thoughts and values about possible environmental futures.

The game set included three decks of cards, a copy of field journal, a stake of half-sheet paper, and pencils.

How to play

Time: 5min
Participants: 1-4

Take a look at the half finished field journal

Randomly draw one card from each deck (3 cards in total).

Combine the information from 3 cards. "How would (animal A) adapt (environment E) with (response R)?"

Draw the imaginary creature based on combined information on a blank paper.

Share and discuss the creature with others.

See all cards...

Running a card game

The card game was running during a project showcase, in which participants were able to discuss different topics of speculative design and posthumanism. More than 30 participants were invited to the game.

During the showcase. The card game successfully drew participants' attention and engaged them during the activity. People described the card game as “fun, interesting and refreshing.”  The format captured people’s imagination and help them to project themselves into the marine biologist’s role.

Drawing gallary

90% of participants have come up with at least one drawing during the 5 min session. The variety and creativity of drawing demonstrate significant interest and confidence from the participants.

However, some of the participants were less confident in drawing the animals and asked for more clarification. They became more confident after team members encouraged them to be open and worry less about scientific accuracy when sketching.

“It’s not about right and wrong, it’s about break down the similar ideas that have shaped us, and help us take on new perspectives.”

03 A shift of perspectives

Mean stream narratives towards nature and the environment are deeply rooted in us. And these narratives are often human-centered. (e.g. human conquers the nature, human is damaging the environment, human needs to protect the nature...).

Our design interventions, on the other hand, helped participants take on nature-centered perspectives by opening a conversation: how would nature respond to the changes caused by human? Can life thrive in a human-altered environment?

These perspectives allowed participants to break down the dominant narrative and their deeply rooted belief about nature, and engage with counter-narratives.

Dominant narratives

“Nature is pure, and nature
should be preserved.”

“Nature is in crises, and animals
and plants are suffering.”

“Environment is damaged,
it’s up to us to save it.”

“We are going to destroy our
mather nature, and she will
having her revenge on us.”

Counter-narratives

“Nature is constantly changing,
and human is a part of it.”

“Animals and plants are trying
adapting the new environment
just like they always do.”

“Human is not the
only solution.”

“Earth is a piece of rock
spinning through space,
and nature doesn’t care.”

“Single-minded and unquestioned perspectives and narratives can lead us to an over-simplified and unexamined solution that does not reflect the complexities of reality.”

04 Promoting Critical Futures Conversations

To create a space that was primed for this level of critical conversation, we took our participants outside their comfort zone and into an environment that was unfamiliar but still real. The unfamiliar setting plus the factual basis created a foundation. Then we engaged in participatory and speculative methods, which led to a critical futures conversation.

Suspend disbelief

Encourage the "long view"

Promotes a post-human perspective

Explore a believable framework

Connect to the audience's world

Raise questions that apply outside of the exercis

Increase creativity and insight

Bring participants' values to the surface

Democratize participation

Examine assumptions

Engage new ideas

Broaden our view of "the problem"

@ Siyuan (Sam) Ma, 2021