My thesis project explores themes of material consumption through three speculative futures. At the root of my investigation is the questioning of the human / material relationship and how this intersects with a number of themes, principally value structures, capitalist economics and the climate breakdown.
Through the three speculations, my aim was to construct a shared conversation about the value of materials; our relationship and interactions with them; and how this might evolve in the face of a resource scarce future.
The three speculations are as follows:
The Spolian Revoltuion - The Spolian Revolution is a non-violent, feminist movement to construct an equitable society of distributed material economies in a near future Manchester. The speculation addresses the structural inequality embedded into our current economy - which is often witnessed most sharply in the built environment.
The Library - This speculation investigates a circular economic future, whereby a network of libraries have been constructed to manage and distribute the increasing flows of materials. The speculation outlines the structure of the AI-driven library network and explores in more detail one regional library in Glossop, 2072. The aim is to highlight the shift in both mindset and infrastructure required to embrace a more circular, less consumptive future relationship with materials.
Exploration of The Shapeless City - In the year 2921, a lone explorer enters the shapeless city on a mission to investigate the material ruins of the fallen capitalist society, and piece together a timeline of past material interactions. The speculation critiques the unsustainable philosophies that underpin capitalist consumption and hints at a feminist re-measuring of the value structures that govern our material interactions.
My work is informed by my intersectional feminism; interest in alternative economic structures; and the evolving role of architecture within the climate breakdown.
