Project2 Proposal

Project2 Possible Futures

Wes Firestone & Katy Wang

Concept

Our future that we are speculating will be about the upbringing of our youth in a cyberpunk world. Specifically, a world where we are more cyborg than humans and that the only “100%” real humans are those at birth. How do we retain this “natural” connection we have to the earth, or to our families and loved ones? We see a world where technology inhibits this capacity for “natural” connection.

Between the youth born naturally and with no technology ehancemnets and the older generation with technology advancements and a society driven by this, hence a cyberpunk world.

Our project will be designing not only a nursery for this youth, but also incorporating what we learned in class about natural materials, plants and their relationship to the environment and humans. We want to illustrate a world where the only hope the youth has in remaining “human” or natural is through nature and natural materials.. Not technologically driven homes, or simulations that only act as a mirage for these things, and the cyborg-parental love that comes from the parents/caretakers.

Questions

What will make your project different from products and something that does not “fit” into today’s world, especially the commercial world?

I think what makes this project not “fit” in today’s world is that humans aren’t yet technologically modified to the extent that their “capacity” or “feel” for love is diminished. We are at a point where technology jades us. Where we lose connections with the ones we love due to either our concentration is somewhere else, or we value things less because of technology.

How will your project help the audience think about alternative possibilities? How will it challenge ideals, values, and beliefs of our society embodied in material culture?

This will challenge the ideals of technology being embedded in our personal lives + society. It will also shed light on familial values, priorities and question how technology is “changing” how we interact with others humanly. Particularly, we want to highlight not only the generational gap between generations but also their connection as well as what will raising the youth look like in the future? What are plants' roles in “saving” the nature of mankind?

Feel free to add anything else that you consider valuable from past readings to connect with your project.

Readings: Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Horroway, themediumisthemassage by Marshall Mcluhan

Materials & Techniques

Carragenan (its transparency could be useful in creating a futuristic like shell
Materials that have healing components
Rhino + Grasshopper to create parametric patterns and use as mold
Material that resembles cyberpunk design -> dyes with natural vibrance and illumininancy
Possibly mycelium and fungus
Skoby possibly to simulate hands and skin interaction
3d Fabrication - Laser cutting, 3D printing, Scanner