microcosmic aquaculture bittertang (antonio torres & michael loverich)
tilling / seeding
The Orb’s Microcosm: Section prior to harvesting of fish. Captive fish flourish in a lush environment surrounded by newly established wild fish stock and plant life. This orb has been engineered to sustain its occupants by mixing feed into the gelatinous matrix which will slowly release as the gelatin dissolves.
We imagine a future where the vast and deep expanses of the ocean will teem with overabundant floating gelatinous reefs. Humans will be nourished by these new floating reef-worlds that sustain large quantities of harvestable fish. Farming in this project is not viewed as a monoculture but as a new ecology in which wild and captive marine life are raised for the future enjoyment of divers and fisherman. By encouraging the establishment of new ecosystems, contemporary farmers and the public can reap physical and recreational benefits from environmental stewardship. The ocean is a vast resource, only able to accommodate an intensity of life when the proper conditions arise. These conditions can be catalyzing, allowing new ecologies to flourish around the simplest substrate. In the ocean, it’s not a matter of making space for life but making objects that attract life. By combining manufactured products with marine and plant material, Microcosmic Aquaculture establishes a new aesthetic associated with the qualitative benefits of returning back to nature and environmentalism. A series of living orbs provide the structure from which this aesthetic will flourish. The premise of Microcosmic Aquaculture relies on the dissolvability and permeability of the orb’s gelatinous wall section. The giant orbs have a pre-defined lifespan determined by the customizable recipe of the gelatinous mix. The mix composition establishes the point at Bittertang
Microcosmic Aquaculture
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