Broken Nature
the future of our Planet.
Milan Triennale
It’s not too late to visit the exhibition Broken Nature at the Triennale in Milan ! You have until the 1rst of September 2019. I visited it during Fuorisalone and it is really worth it !
Also called Design takes on Human survival this show gathers all the projects tackling the topic of our future on this planet. It “highlights the concept of restorative design and studies the state of the threads that connect humans to their natural environments “.
Basically, what can human beings do to reconnect with our earth and try to avoid both our destruction ?
Here are a few basic concepts we should apply to our relationship with Nature and a selection of projects that really touched me in this exhibition.
Rediscover
Some natural materials we know since forever can actually have properties we never thought of exploiting before. In their piece called Totem, Neri Oxman and her team highlight the special properties of melanin. This substance we literally have under the skin is really resistant to high temperatures, chemical stresses and biochemical threats. It could be use in design or architecture, for exemple, to give a protective skin to buildings.
Reconnect
Reconnect with our local resources and know-how will be necessary to build a more sustainable future. The projet Algae Geographies initiated by Atelier Luma anchors itself in the Mediterranean region and make the best out of its natural and cultural ressources to create design objects. They grow their own raw material : algae, and use the specific craftsmanship from the region to propose a vaste range of objects mixing, for exemple, rattan and 3D printed algae.
Respect
We will, of course, need to learn how to respect our mother Earth. What bigger challenge to learn how to respect her when it comes to death ? Instead of cutting a tree to make a boxe and bury a body, Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel imagined a solution to reconnect us with earth and plant trees for the posterity. The body is placed in a biodegradable capsule and used to feed the growth of a tree planted just above it.
I’ve already heard about this project but seing it in real, floating in the room gave me goose bumps. It was both beautiful and disturbing.
Collaborate
Instead of imitating it or replacing it we also have the option to collaborate with nature. Agnieszka Kurant applies this concept very well with her art pieces made in collaboration with termites. The A.A.I project is a beautiful demonstration of the potential of a collaboration between natural phenomenon and human sensitivity.
Anticipate
Most of the damage has already been done and we will, for sure, have to change our habits to survive on this earth. Are we really ready to anticipate this change of habits and, most likely, this change of life comfort ? Dunne and Raby pushed the idea really far with the Foragers project. They imagined devices to digest new sources of food. Inspired by different animals digestive systems, these devices will help us survive in a world where we will have used all the ressources.
Overall
This exhibition was really well curated and gathering all the game changing projects from this last decade tackling our future on the planet. It was a beautiful reminder that even though we are doomed and things will change, their is maybe still a future possible for humanity on earth. A different future than what we would have thought but that will maybe make humanity grow in a better way.
Here is the link to the exhibition details.
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