Fan Zhang The Future Body
How can we become the body without organs in the anthropocene epoch? How do external sounds affect us?
Speculative design is a growing methodology raised by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby that objects to orthodox forecasting approaches, thus creating open debate about what kind of future people want. Speculative design could be a thought experiment and method to provide viable solutions and stimulate audiences to realise and discuss the ‘wicked problems’ – problems that are challenging or unattainable to solve (Dunne & Raby, 2013). Many speculative artworks deal with various techno-futures that reshape how people interact with resources and the environment – a task we may need to reset our imaginations in reaction to the Anthropocene, the latest historical era when human activities have significantly impacted the planet's environment and ecosystems. This phrase refers to an unofficial geologic time unit (National Geographic Society, 2022). The research started with these keywords: speculative design, future, and interview and further expanded to the body without organs and applied sounds to investigate the complex interplay between Anthropocene and the future and the human body. This practice-based research employs a standardised and open-ended interview method to participate in discussions about futures, bodies, and identities as the first step. Second, thematic analysis was utilised to gather data, analyse, and evaluate the results of the interviews. Thematic analysis is a helpful tool for resolving experiences, perspectives, or behaviours during data collection. The interview results led the investigation to a philosophical concept – the body without organs and Anthropocene. Raised by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, the body without organs means the body is uncontrolled and floating, opposing the dominant subject, and refusing to construct a central meaning. Sounds, especially experimental sounds, could be regarded as the body without organs since they are decentralised and fluid. This research aims to provoke people to be aware of three major concerns in an artistic approach: what type of future people want, what the future might be, and how to react to it.
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