On the evening of September 20th, Copenhagen-based future-living laboratory Space 10 and London-based talent management agency Propela joined forces to co-host Intelligent Spaces at Protein Studios in Shoreditch. Part of Space 10's week-long Exploring the Spaces of Tomorrow series for the London Design Festival, the event brought together speakers including speculative architect, sci-fi shaper, extreme explorer & technology storyteller Liam Young [Sci-Arc, Unknown Fields Division AA School, and Tomorrow's Thoughts Today], and myself to present provocations that challenge superficial precepts of the spatiotemporal nature of space.

Packed to the rafters, the hugely popular event provided the platform for the delivering of the third incarnation of my presentation "Biome Shock! Anthropogenic meets Ecological Intelligence", which first delivered at BioSalon III in autumn 2016 explores the psychological and philosophical dimensions of humanity's relationships with our surroundings, and the possible implications thereof to design, architecture, and urban research and practice now and in the future. In a style reminiscent of Orson Welles' narration of Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, Liam Young presented his extra-ordinary audio-visual expedition Hello City (see slides), which takes the audience on a planetary journey into possible near-futures. 

Young and I pulled no punches in our provocations, which delved the possible depths of environmental and social destruction and disenfranchisement as could become manifest in consequence of anthropogenic actions of the past and present. Thankfully, Space 10 had laid on a complimentary bar such that any as needed it could find comfort in a stiff drink! Dinner came in the form of tasty micro-greens grown on-site in a pop-up hydroponic lab, which were topped by an algae-based dressing, also grown and made in situ (see below).

Thank you to the inspirational teams at Space 10 and Propela, and to peers including Liam Young for making Intelligent Spaces one of the stand-out events of 2017!  

Artists in residence at the Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, McFarland & Singer, are hosting a collaborative arts project titled "My DNA". Scientists and artists are invited to submit an exhibit in a petri dish, to be representative of an aspect of their research, practice, or approach. Join me in contributing your scientific or creative DNA.

My DNA contributions form part of the forthcoming exhibition 'Process: Visualising DNA Research', which will go on show at the Charles Wilson Building at University of Leicester between November 10th - December 21st 2017, and at 44AD Artspace in Bath between January 22nd - February 2018 (see below).

Pictured above: my submission, titled 'DNAbstract' [canvas, crystallised salt: medium saliva + powered metallic], which is representative of the intersection of the abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic. See a selection of My DNA contributions below (image: McFarland & Singer).

Submission deadline: 30th September 2017.
https://mcfarlandsinger.com/2017/08/31/petri-dish-project/

Delighted to be joining peers to present at Propela + Space10's contribution to London Design Festival, which titled Intelligent Spaces is taking place at Protein Studios in Shoreditch on the evening of September 20th 2017. Co-curated by IKEA's research laboratory, Space10 [Copenhagen], and leading-edge agency for creatives crafting the future, Propela [London], Intelligent Spaces is part of a week-long series of events under the theme of Exploring the Spaces of Tomorrow.

Intelligent Spaces speakers: Liam Young: speculative architect, sci-fi shaper, extreme explorer & technology storyteller; Kaave Pour + Bas Van De Poel: Space10's Creative Director + Head of Playful Research; Maarten Nefkens: Strategy Director at Amsterdam-based creative agency Dawn; & myself.

I'll be presenting Biome Shock! Anthropogenic meets Ecological Intelligence, which asks "what is intelligence? How do define what is, and is not ‘smart’, and why does that matter to designers?". Liam Young will present “an audio-visual expedition to a city found somewhere between the present and the predicted, the real and the imagined, stitched together from fragments of real landscapes and designed urban fictions”. 

Collaborators in the week-long event include: WikiHouse Foundation, Central Saint Martins' spatial practices and architecture students, Brooklyn design studio Anton & Irene, pop-up location curators Appear Here, futures research studio Franklin Till, which curates and edits biannual magazine Viewpoint, and materials research studio Ma-tt-er, which, in residence,  is producing an exhibition, workshop and a talks programme envisioning future spaces as multi-sensory.


Exploring the Space of Tomorrow:
Tuesday 19 September: Shared Spaces: CSM + Anton & Irene + SPACE10
Wednesday 20 September: Intelligent Spaces: Propela + SPACE10
Thursday 21 September: Portable Spaces: WikiHouse + SPACE10
Friday 22 September: Temporary Spaces: Appear Here + SPACE10
Saturday 23 September: Material Spaces: Ma-tt-er + SPACE10

Reserve a place at: https://space10.io/program/intelligent-spaces-propela-plus-space10

Related events: The Future Of_ event series, which is curated and produced by Propela, and takes place in the space during the day. Learn more about the program at futureof.co.