Presentation on June 23rd 2011

      MA Design Symposium Seeding Futures on June 23 2011 was an opportunity to organise data, thoughts and ideas and look back on the thought process. Following is the ppt images and the presentation given.

 

"Hello, my name is Jen Yoohyun Lee and I am doing my MA in Design and Environment. 

I would like to welcome my reader Matt Davies from GiGL (Greenspace information for Greater London)." 

"Did you, by any chance encounter a feral cat on the way here today? 

There are many animals living in London.

My project is about provoking a novel AWARENESS of the nonhuman animals in urban area.

My concern for nonhuman animals initiated 

when it occurred to me that human idea of NATURE tends to stand in opposition to humans."

"The NATURE to modern urbanites is truly distant. 

Nature documentaries seen on TV is one of the major ways of contact with nature for urbanites.  

It depicts the grand nature composed only of once-in-a-blue-moon dynamic highlights.

It must be taken into account, however, that the nature seen on the screen went through 

the process of editing with narration and sound effect.

So it must differ greatly

from that of what the locals experience in proximity,

and that of what the camera people experience when filming the very footage."

"The recent attempts to re-connect with nature include 

nature nursery, natural artifact stores, ecopsychology and ecotourism." 

 

"But nature here is only regarded as means, props and backgrounds for human actors." 

"So there is the underlying idea of nature vs. man.

But like any other beings, humans too, are part of nature.

So questions arise:

'Could the nonhumans be actors?

and also,

'Can the engagement of human and nonhuman be generated in equal stances?'"

"I have created Wild London Directory for mammals 

based on the data provided by GiGL.

2 pictures were included for each species- one of the whole body 

and the other of just the face, in which I was hoping to create the sense of eye-contact.

In it, I tried to identify Contact Zones, the areas which are shared among different species."

 

"The term Residence was to indicate the act of living.

It was an attempt to regard their appearance as a sign of their claim of residence.

So the next question arises:

'How is this useful to nonhuman animals then?'"

 

"I believe the idea of nature reserve or wildlife conservation is sill objectifying the nonhumans.

In ecosystem we live in, all are needed."

"Every element is strongly linked to one another.
Where we live is the more-than-human world." 

"The concept of 'companion' comes into mind.

It is about cohabitation, not coexistence or co-presence." 

"At the moment, the nonhuman animals are cornered by urban sprawl.

Some are recognised as endangered, and to be protected.

However, there are many others considered nuisance. 

Roadkill can be seen as a tragic case of human-nonhuman contact points in urban area.

In 2002, it was identified that 

50,000 badgers; 10 million birds; 100,000 foxes were killed on the road in the UK.

Unfortunately, roadkill is yet to be recognised as an issue more serious than that of poaching or hunting"

"Another interesting contact zone is cemeteries.

These places for dead humans are apparently islands of calm in the sea of noise and concrete, 

oasis for wildlife."

"Nonhuman animals in urban area are survivors.

They have adapted to what was first designed and designated for human use.

Urban area is now a habitat for more-than-humans.

So the question now is:

'What in the city suits the needs of nonhuman animals?'

I assert that there is a need to recognise and accept the nonhuman animals as users of city space.

Ultimately, this project is to call for change in human attitude 

in order to cease the other-harming behaviour.

Whether you see them or not, 

so many individuals cohabit in this city.

I hope

we become more aware of our more-than-human neighbours 

in this very space called London."