Machine Wilderness is a program of fieldwork looking at technology from the perspective of specific landscapes in order to learn how to design technological systems as integrated parts of complex biomes. We work from local ecological cycles, biodiversity and biosemiotics.

Human technologies have almost exclusively been used for the domestication of nature. What could our technologies look like if they are designed as participants in our landscapes that are part of material flows, and foodwebs? Machine Wilderness is an art&science program dedicated to reimagining the role of technology in our living landscapes, through in situ prototyping of ecological robotics and hybrid systems.

We'll start with a general introduction of Machine Wilderness by Theun Karelse and an overview of prototyping fieldwork done so far on various locations in Europe. Clemens Driessen will present his work with technology and farm animals.

This is a fieldwork session where we look for hidden opportunities Helsinki offers for plants and animals. Animals and plants are gradually joining us in our urban and industrial landscapes. Could technology be used as a positive influence for them to navigate human dominated environments? We propose an exploration of urban mixed zones in Helsinki to prototype technological interventions for wild animals to navigate the local Anthropocenic landscapes.

The workshop involves rapid prototyping by building a deck of cards as a design tool. These cards form sets to challenge our perspective of urban infrastructures. They are a way to see the world through the eyes of non-humans. We'll prototype interfaces of empathy for a range of wild creatures that might inhabit or transverse Helsinki. These design strategies and methods are developed in collaboration with Scott Smith http://www.changeist.com/

More about Machine Wilderness: http://machinewilderness.net/

Please register to the workshop in advance below. The language of the workshop is English.

About Theun Karelse and Clemens Driessen

Theun Karelse studied fine-arts at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam before joining FoAM, a translocal platform for artistic research. He works with landscapes, graphics, inflatable architecture, anything from new media to prehistoric media and initiated the Machine Wilderness program which explores design strategies for technologies that function within ecosystems.

Dr. Clemens Driessen is a lecturer/researcher in cultural geography at Wageningen University who has been exploring to what extent material design – from landscapes to devices – could play a role in learning to help find new ways of living with wild and less wild others. He has researched milking robot politics on the farm and attempted to create new forms of human-pig interaction with game designers.

Please note that the workshop starts at 10am, not 10.30 as has been stated on this site before