VIBRANT MATTERS
Andy X. Wang
THESIS STATEMENT
Vibrant Matters aims to examine the inseparability of nature and culture within the context of the burgruen institute
In examining the inseparability of nature and culture as proposed by French philosopher Bruno Latour, this thesis will investigate how our contemporary institutions must overcome traditional dichotomies between nature and society to effectively address the way we inhabit the Earth. By applying Latour's (Actant) Actor(Rhyzome) Network (Ontology) Theory (ANT), it will demonstrate how integrating social, technological, and natural actants can re-orient our approach to co-inhabiting the Earth. It will acknowledge the agency of non-human actants and foster a collaborative network among human, natural, and technological actants, which are essential for conceiving solutions that are not only innovative but also inclusive and just.
Experiment with text and background color. Provocations
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani
Just as a social contract once brought order to human relations, Serres believes that we must now sign a "natural contract" with the earth to bring balance and reciprocity to our relations with the planet that gives us life.Moreover, the pandemic has underscored the interconnectedness of human health and the environment, emphasizing the urgency for holistic approaches to mitigate future crises and foster resilience in our delicate ecosystems. In "The Natural Contract" by Michel Serres, COVID-19 is depicted as an ecological crisis emblematic of the strained relationship between humanity and the natural world. Serres argues that the pandemic serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnected-
ness between human actions and environmental consequences. The virus, originating from the encroachment of human activities into natural habitats, highlights the repercussions of ecological imbalance. Serres emphasizes the need for a renegotiation of the "natural contract," wherein humans recognize their responsibility to coexist harmoniously with nature. COVID-19, with its global impact and profound disruptions to human society, serves as a stark illustration of the urgent need for ecological awareness and sustainable practices to ensure the preservation of both human well-being and the integrity of the natural world.
Midjourney: The natural contract
The trajectory of modern history over the past three centuries has witnessed a gradual erasure of engendering concerns, as humans have embraced modern emotions of progression, expansion, abundance, and freedom as the norm. This shift has led to the neglect of interconnected engendering concerns shared among various entities, including humans, animals, and the natural entities (actants). Empowered by perceived objective knowledge, humans have adopted a 'secularized religious emotion,' (57) believing they can transcend accountability for their actions and escape the consequences of their expansions."
The COVID-19 lockdown confronted several modern emotions with challenges. Initially, it disrupted the sense of freedom. Rooted in the Modernist mindset of seeking escape from problems and constraints, individuals found themselves confined within the limits of lockdown measures, unable to venture beyond the walls
surrounding them. This stark reality underscored a crucial realization: as inhabitants of Earth, we are inherently subject to limitations on our movements. Latour vividly articulates his own experiences and emotions during the lockdown: ‘I begin to position myself as a terrestrial among other terrestrials once the surprise has worn off and I realise that terrestrials never move around ‘‘freely’’ everywhere in some undifferentiated space. They construct that space step by step. […] it’s feeling confined that gives us this freedom finally to move ‘‘freely’’. Turning into a termite assures us that we can’t survive for a minute without constructing, by means of saliva and mud, a tiny tunnel that allows us to crawl in complete safety a few millimetres further along. No tunnel, no movement.’ (27)
Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime. Latour continues to explore the existential question: where am i?
"Lockdowns provided a crucial answer to this question: humans are terrestrials living on Earth"
"Lockdowns gave people a chance to free their minds from the laws of economics in which they were rotting away."
POSITIONS
"We, the Ecological class, say with Pride!; We're the ones who represent the new rationality and the new civilizing process, because we're tackling the fundamental problem of the planet's conditions of habitability" Its very important for a class to have a horizon, because, first of all, a class is a project."We are taking over now, we are the temporal"
"Its not a matter of replaying oldstyle liberation, out of ignorance of the conditions of existence and abandonment of the past. its about finding this Other kind of liberation by recognizing: I'm discovering that i depend on all these lifeforms, whether they be bees, swallows, the climate and its good to depend."
"The alternative to modernization is ecologizing. No exact idea what that mean yet, enormous shift in the definition of time, of its passing, of the separation between past and future. Modernizing or ecologizing are probably totally opposed. Ecologizing implies something of the order of composing."
"The alternative message of composition means diving headlong into controversies; abandoning the separation between what's progress and what's archaic; getting interested obviously in the fundamental question of habitability; getting livability standards to take precedence over questions of production."
"Composing is a really beautiful term because its also music. Its about arrangements, negotiations, modus vivendi." "mode of living" or " way of life", the order of composing.
"the order of composing"
CHOREOGRAPHY
ECOLOGIZING
An institute exploring the ideas we need for our changing world
Humans Future Humans Future Humans Future Future Humans
Ideas Matter
Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Since its founding, the Berggruen Institute has forged new conceptual frameworks to meet the challenges and harness the opportunities of the arriving future. As an independent think and action tank, we have the autonomy to step outside the usual lanes, reaching beyond academic disciplines to bridge social divides, partisan dispositions, and cultural boundaries. This cross-fertilization, joined with a unique capacity to connect and convene a diverse global network of relationships, gives us the ability to spread actionable ideas and influence events.
We are immersed in a time of meteoric change: Cosmologists’ observations reveal that only a fraction of the observable universe is made up of what they call matter. Scientific and kin-making collaborations with animals suggest that the mind extends beyond individual human brains. Intelligent machines are learning to respond to human emotions. Brain-computer interfaces that amplify human senses are altering the boundaries of our bodies. And biotechnologists simulate and then mold cells toward new evolutionary pathways, editing life itself. Concepts that ground matter, mind, intelligence, body, and life are undergoing momentous revisions.
These transformations prompt us to consider the diversity of possible futures for humans, in connection with other biologies, beings, and the biosphere. The Future Humans theme asks: How can we construct a flourishing ecosystem that includes and integrates humans, the varied life forms of the planet, and new intelligences? What
sorts of fragilities and benefits will we encounter through these emergent interconnections? And how can philosophies of more-than-human worlds help us to radically re-envision human institutions, from politics, to laboratories, to the economy? Future Humans connects experimenters, creators, and scholars who are shaping how humans of the future will collaborate with natures and technologies. At the center of these projects is a crucial question: What will life become?
Team: Claire Isabel Webb, Dawn Nakagawa, Uly Yarber Fellows: Aminah Al-Attas Bradford, Lee Cronin, Stanley Qiufan Chen, Theo DownesLe Guin , N. Katherine Hayles, Sam Kriegman, Ranger Liu, Ken Liu, Lois Rosson, Sara Walker
Vibrant Matters aims to examine the "parliament of things", a concept of bruno latours, within the context of the burgruen institute. The Berggruen Institute’s mission to foster "new ideas about how to reshape political and social institutions" aligns with Bruno Latour's concept of a "parliament of things," advocating for inclusive decision-making involving both human and non-human entities. This vision promotes new conceptual frameworks that address global challenges through innovative stewardship of our institutions.
This project will present a conceptual framework for representation, specifically aimed at demonstrating the agency of non-human entities within an architectural context. Through this framework, we will illustrate how non-human entities can be considered active participants, influencing and shaping architectural spaces. To bring this concept to life, five detailed scenarios will be presented. Each scenario will highlight the active participation of non-human entities and showcase their coexistence within the context of the institution's diverse programs, emphasizing the interconnectedness and mutual influence between human and non-human actors in shaping our built environment.
Herzog & de Meuron Designs New Campus for Berggruen Institute in the Los Angeles
Project Team:
MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste Herzog & De Meuron, architects (Lead consultatnt) Gensler, executive architect IHA Inessa Hansch Architect PSOMAS, civil enginneer KPFF, civil engineer Leighton & Asscociates, Inc, Geotechnical Engineer Arup North America, MEP Engineer Transsolar, Sustainability Consultant
Hills
The order of composing - Diagrams
2. Digital Disruption
1. Vibrant Matters
3. Rising Techne
5. Melting Point
4. Climatic Occurrences
WORK IN PROGRESS
Fire prevention and protection strategy involves Integrating fire-resistant materials and landscape design, the strategy aims to mitigate risks while preserving natural habitats. A concealed onsite water tank and a dedicated heli pad will ensure fire fighting cabpailities for the institute and the surrounding community.
Vibrant Matter
WORK IN PROGRESS
Vibrant Matter explores the idea of vital materialism which suggests that all matter, not only humans possess a form of life and agency.This assembly of things, humans, and hyperobjects explores our entangled existence, urging a new ecological institution where all voices matter
Digital Disruption
WORK IN PROGRESS
Digital disruption redefines our interaction with technology, emphasizing the agency of digital objects such as semiconductor chips. In an era of digital disruption, understanding the vitality of data and devices re-orient our ethical frameworks, highlighting the complex interplay between humans and the digital materials that shape our world. Overlaying meeting/work program
WORK IN PROGRESS
"Aristotle once believed that techne was virtuous because it uses natural materials 'to create objects unknown in nature' and therefore it 'completes nature'. This scenario, overlaying the library and research program, helps redefine the vitality of new intelligences, where boundaries between biology and technology are increasingly blurred."
A Scholars entanglement
WORK IN PROGRESS
Climatic occurences and human encroachment in the natural world prompt this scenario to examine the relationships with the host and guest. Living entities that exists on site such spiders, lizards, bees are part this natural habitat. This encounter challenges traditional boundaries, urging recognition of the vibrant, intelligent matter in all forms, and fostering deeper ethical engagement with our interconnected world.
Melting Point
WORK IN PROGRESS
The Melting Point examines the dangers of global warming through hyperobjects as active agents. These vast, complex entities challenge our understanding of climate dynamics and underscore the urgency of addressing environmental issues
Credits
Thesis Advisor: Elena Manferdini
HT Advisor: Erik Ghenoiu, John Cooper
