With our attempts to cultivate nature, humankind causes the rising of a next nature, which is wild and unpredictable as ever. Wild systems, genetic surprises, autonomous machinery and splendidly beautiful black flowers. Nature changes along with us.
Dutch quality newspaper NRC reviewed our lustrous Next Nature book with an extensive two page article. The review by Bianca Stigter discusses our shifting notions of nature & culture and asserts that the future belongs to techtuur – don’t ask how that term differs from nextnature; I guess some journalist just like to invent their own lingo? Go ahead and download the scan.
Try before you buy. Browse the sample excerpt of the lustrous Next Nature book containing material from chapter 1 & chapter 3.
Books bricks are currently being shipped across the planet and should arrive in your local bookstore within the next few weeks (depending on your location). Right now, the fastest way to to get a book is to order it through our website. Word up.
Different totems, same rituals. Peculiar image of the week by Walter Robinson.
Normally a house cat would not stand a chance against a dangerous pit-bull dog. But with a little help of an electric vacuum cleaning robot, supersmart cat Max-Arthur emancipates himself from its presumed fate. Don’t you just love it when old nature and nextnature come together?!
The video team of TEDxAmsterdam caught me mid-production and forced me to sit on a chair to respond to their upcoming conference theme: Human Nature. We discussed how people are technological by nature, yet how we also need humane technology to remain human, or become even more human than we are today.
TEDxAmsterdam is held on the 25th of November in the city theater of Amsterdam.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood you may want to attend the Next Nature lectures at the Amber Festival in Istanbul. The theme of the festival is ‘Next Ecology’. Yours faithfully will be lecturing on ‘Money as a Medium’.
Are you familiar with the affliction? Anthropomorphobia is the fear of recognizing human characteristics in non-human objects. The term is a hybrid of two Greek-derived words: ‘anthropomorphic’ means ‘of human form’ and ‘phobia’ means ‘fear’. Although anthropomorphobia was originally rare, with complaints limiting themselves to fairs and amusement parks with moving dummies that laughed at visitors, the blurring boundary between people and products is leading to increased problems. Complaints can be accompanied by irrational panic attacks, disdain, revulsion, and confusion about what it means to be human. Will anthropomorphobia eventually become public disease number one? Or can anthropomorphobia serve as a guiding principle in the evolution of humanity? Herewith, an exploration.
By KOERT VAN MENSVOORT
Exploring the Twilight between Person and Product
Luxury cars with blinking headlight eyes. Perfume bottles shaped like beautiful ladies. Grandma’s face stretched smooth. Carefully selected designer babies. The Senseo coffeemaker shaped – subtly, but nonetheless – like a serving butler. And, of course, there are the robots, mowing grass, vacuuming living rooms, and even caring for elderly people with dementia. Today more and more products are designed to exhibit anthropomorphic – that is, human – behaviour. At the same time, as a consequence of increasing technological capabilities, people are being more and more radically cultivated and turned into products. This essay will investigate the blurring of the boundary between people and products. My ultimate argument will be that we can use our relationship to anthropomorphobia as a guiding principle in our future evolution.
Dutch newspaper ‘Het Parool‘ features an article on Next Nature. Great piece. You might want to buy yesterdays newspaper tomorrow. Or you can download the scan.
Prior to the forthcoming Next Nature Power Show in Amsterdam, we share some videos of presentations at earlier next nature events.
At our 2008 Powershow in Los Angeles founding editor of Wired Magazine, Kevin Kelly, talked about the nature of technology. Kevin proposes to define technology as the 7th Kingdom of Life. According to Kelly, “Our entire system of technology is now so complex that it forms a tangled ecology of ideas and devices which support each other. Human mind, so essential for its birth, play a decreasing role.”
The human environmental impact on our planet is hardly underestimated nowadays. Scientist agree humans are to blame for Global Warming – some are already dreaming up scenario’s of geo-engineering to undo the damage. Untouched old nature is almost nowhere to be found anymore besides perhaps some small areas on the South pole, in the deep sea or if one looks up at the stars – although the brighter ones may well be satellites. “We were here”, is written all over. So when did the writing begin? Much earlier than thought.
According to the common perception the human impact on the environment is fairly recent and thought to have started in concert with the 19th centuries industrial revolution. Presumably, in earlier times humans lived in harmony with their environment. That popular romantic view however, is increasingly being challenged.
Forthcoming Next Nature Power Show speaker, Rachel Armstrong describes some of the differences between so-called Earth 1.0 and Earth 2.0 technologies. The video is especially recommended for connoisseurs of fortissimo synthesizer music. If this is not you, you can also read Rachel’s Self-Repairing Architecture essay.
Ecological insecticide allows you to extinguish-nature in a nature-friendly way. It nicely illustrates the “I love nature, but not in my backyard” attitude, so popular nowadays. Peculiar paradoxical product of the week.
Our peculiar image of the week was made by Peter Doig. Oil on canvas, 200×275 cm, 1992. Via De Groene Amsterdammer.
This week the oldest and classiest Dutch newsmagazine De Groene Amsterdammer features an 11-page special with lots of material from the forthcoming Next Nature book
The special includes a spread on Hypernature, an wonderful new article on Food Technology, an essay by Kevin Kelly and a translation of the essay Real Nature is Not Green. If you are able to decipher Dutch, this is highly recommended.
Hooray! The long awaited Next Nature book is currently being printed and can now be pre-ordered for 37,50 euro.
The Book launches at The Next Nature Powershow on 5 November in Amsterdam.
A little bit more black. Printing at Spinhex-Industry on the enormous Lithrone S40 p.
Hendrik-Jan Grievink checking and being happy with the colors.
Earlier we’ve posted the Bulletproof Skin, now here is the Skin Gun: a stem cell spray gun used to heal burn victims. It is up to you – dear intelligent readers – to image if and how these two projects are related. Many small steps in the blend between the made & the born together form one giant leap. Thanks Ronald.
Remember the Information Decoration essay which argued our so-called information society barely employs our human bandwidth, as most of the data in our lives is presented in square, electronic screens – rather than using the richness of patterns in our environment as information carrier?
Over time, Information Decoration grew into a design methodology that is applied in numerous times and places. As it would be against its own argument to read the original essay on a computer screen, the text is now also available on an elegant 100% silk scarf. Designed by Mieke Gerritzen.
Run click to the store and toast your neck with it for 69 euro.
Ultimately we get the nature we deserve. I can live with that. Our fellow species however, deserve better. Peculiar image of the week. Thanks Mieke.
