Workshop 5:New Organs of Perception by Susanna Soares

New organs of perception

Download Susanna’s presentation> new organs of perception

Susanna Soares is a recent graduate form the MA Design Interactions course at the Royal College of Art, She is currently a researcher/lecturer at Syracuse University in Upstate New York. Susanna’s work explores the current and the future implication of nano, bio and genetic technologies and how it is changing our perceptions of evolution.

‘Design and Futures Thinking’ by James King

The MRI Steak: The Meat of Tomorrow

Nanofilter: Fossil from a Nanotech future

‘Design and Futures Thinking’ by James King (designer)

Check out his presentation here

Dressing The Meat of Tomorrow

There is a real technology that allows us to take a small sample of animal tissue and encourage it to grow, separate from the original animal’s body, to form a piece of ediblemeat. Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr, who are two artists working with this technology call this food “disembodied cuisine”, but is also known as Lab-meat, Semi-Living Meat, In-Vitro Cultured Meat, and perhaps most importantly for vegetarians: Victimless Meat.

Design and the Elastic Mind

If anyone happens to be dropping in to New York over the next couple of months be sure to pop in to MOMA and check out the new exhibition: Design and the Elastic Mind. It has been curated by Paola Antonelli,, who previously put together the Safe exhibition in 2006, and has much inspired this Designing Safe Living research programme at Lancaster university. As cited in the exhibition text “Design and the Elastic Mind explores the reciprocal relationship between science and design in the contemporary world by bringing together design objects and concepts that marry the most advanced scientific research with attentive consideration of human limitations, habits, and aspirations.” I was overwhelmed by the intensity of information and the plethora of objects, photographs, video, visuals and text on show which demanded my time and concentration. There is no way any could summarise or spin this into an easy bitesize review and give it justice. So if you dont get to go to MOMA , just make sure you spend 30 mins per lunch hour reading through the online exhibition.

Nanonoia by Jessica Charlesworth

This project is entitled NANONOIA and was presented at the Proximities workshop in November 2007. In this presentation I will discuss its development by highlighting my process and design decisions and ending with further space for explorations.There are two phases to this project:

PHASE ONE: Influences

First phase addresses my influences, research and initial questions. The second phase further explores the complexities of my scenarios: raising more questions. My initial influence was from an article discussing the current applications of nano technologies in commercial organisations. The article discussed the future impact of hand held nano sensors that could indicate whether the parson you are sitting nxt to on the bus has flu or whether the street you are walking down has a high carbon monoxide count or the salad you are abotu to it has a bacteria that will cause food poisoning. This hyper awareness of our immediate future health raised question of paranoia + future phobias and implication this tech will have on psycho somatic disorders.

This lead to the question what of this paranoia were to escalate and begin to affect interactions within our relationships and environmen?

My visual research: detection + protection. How these products/systems already affect relationships and environments.

Acute sensitivity: what if protection/detection became biokleptic:ie borrow biological processes from immune system and manipulate them to enable physical manifestations into more meaningful signals.

Health supplement provides individual with a sixth sense by boosting and augmenting the immune system.

Could supplement provide individual with a sixth sense? Offering a new code of reference: PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION

Each physical manifestation illustrates the individual’s reaction to their surroundings. Each symbol translates into the individual’s probability of contracting a virus from certain contagions.

These illustrations created more questions: how would this biokleptic acute sensitivity be provided to an individual?

PHASE TWO: Who is the service provider?

This second phase explores further complexities of this scenario. How would a service create further implications to society? The 6sense health supplement that enhances our immune system.

Is the service publicly run, privately invested? Designed various touch points that provide further questions and future scenarios.

Would the service provider offer….?

– Inductions and starter packs?

– DNA tests?

– Tailored treatment + applications

– Could one could learn to read themselves and translate their symbols, a dictionary for themselves

– A manual that offers various tips on what to do in an emergency?

– (code of conduct/charter) (who and how is support structure exist in your life, subscription?)- nicorette style

– Similar to diabetics, 6sense members have own inconspicuous ways to gain access to certain areas and public services. Private members clubs

– Depending on location, provided with various maps identifying nearest quarantine zone (food and water and treatment safe house) (casa segura, humane borders projects)

– Own individual proxemic contingency chart, Indicates minimum distance 6 sense members need to be to reduce risk to disease level.

This service provider and the various products they offer raise further implications in society and the interactions individuals have in environment and between relationships. Does it increase hypochondria cases?, somatic syndromes, obsessive compulsive disorders/phobias

What might be the propaganda poster campaign? E.g. NHS tissue. Underground politeness/terrorist warnings; use your senses

READ MORE about the future of the 6sense health supplement HERE>

Workshop 3 Proximities: Nanonoia by Jessica Charlesworth + The RACE by Michael Burton

Images: from ‘Nanonoia’ by Jessica Charlesworth & ‘The Race’ by Michael Burton

I will be returning to Lancaster University on Thursday to not only be a rapporteur but to actually talk about my work alongside my colleague Michael Burton. We will both be discussing issues relating to nanotechnology, proximity, future health and safe living. I look forward to meeting all those who will be attending. Take a look at the proximities tab for more information.