The Stonecene
Connecting Memory, Digital Media, and Multi-species Symbiosis
Overview
This project is grounded in the idea that stone, as an ancient and enduring material, serves as a vital medium connecting human emotion, cultural memory, and the natural world. Stone acts as a bridge across time, linking past civilizations with contemporary digital experiences. Through both its symbolic and literal presence, stone raises profound questions about humanity's position within ecological networks. The project critiques anthropocentric assumptions, advocating for an ontological shift that recognises the subjectivity of all entities, including both biological and non-biological beings. By leveraging the concept of the "Stone-cene," the project explores the intersection of human perception, ancient cultures, and contemporary science. It uses digital media to offer a philosophical lens to examine the relationships between human systems, natural ecosystems, and virtual systems, fostering reflection on our interconnectedness with both nature and technology.
Objective
This project aims to create an immersive and interactive digital environment— a "Digital Stonehenge" — which blends natural materials and digital media into a symbiotic space.
This immersive environment connects various spatial and temporal layers, questioning how the body and identity are reshaped within this new context. The key aspects of this environment include:
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Body Space: Connecting the body through its meridian system and microbial communities, emphasizing the interrelation between the human body and its internal ecosystems.
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Natural Space: Symbolised by tree roots and slime mold, representing a microbial network that underscores the interconnectedness of all life forms, both animate and inanimate.
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Virtual Space: An interactive digital environment constructed from digital assets that explores new forms of engagement with technology and space.
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Frequency Space: A space dedicated to the resonant frequencies that permeate both human perception and natural systems, integrating sound, vibrations, and sensory experiences to foster a deeper connection to both the virtual and physical worlds.
Theoretical Foundation
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Multi-species Kinship (Haraway):In the project, Haraway's concept of "kinship" is applied to explore the interconnectedness of humans, non-human species, and technological systems. Haraway's theory highlights the symbiotic relationships that transcend human boundaries, focusing on mutual co-existence and the importance of recognizing our entanglement with all living beings and systems. This idea is woven into the project through the use of microbial and technological networks, symbolized by elements such as slime mold and digital media, reflecting the co-generation of life and knowledge across species and materials.
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Anna Tsing’s Temporal and Material Networks: draws on Anna Tsing's theory of networks, particularly her exploration of time and materiality in The Mushroom at the End of the World. Tsing emphasizes the interdependence of diverse species and materials, where time and space intertwine in complex ecological and socio-political networks. In the context of the project, this approach highlights how natural and technological systems—such as the connection between microbial life and human perception—form a continuous, evolving network, bridging both the organic and digital realms. The project reflects this through its focus on interconnectedness, using digital media and physical materials like stone, which act as symbolic representations of ecological networks.
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The brain-gut axis: which highlights the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system, informs The Digital Stone-Cene’s exploration of interconnected systems.
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Deleuze：Deleuze's philosophy of "becoming" and his concept of the rhizome inform The Digital Stone-Cene by emphasizing non-hierarchical connections and continuous evolution. This perspective underpins the project's multi-layered narrative, which links geological structures, microbial networks, and human perception as co-evolving entities within a shared ecological system.
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Daoism: the Daoist concept of "the One" plays a central role in framing the idea of interconnectedness and symbiosis. Daoist philosophy emphasizes the unity and interdependence of all beings in the universe, seeing them as part of a larger, organic whole. This view is reflected in the project's exploration of the connection between the physical and virtual worlds, where all entities—human, microbial, organic, and digital—are conceived as part of a unified system. The idea of "One" in Daoism aligns with the project's approach to integrate the smallest particles of matter (based on string theory) and larger ecosystems, forming a continuous, co-evolving cycle of interaction, both material and immaterial. By combining these elements, the project offers a vision of a posthuman world where the boundaries between humans, technology, and nature are fluid and interconnected, much like the Daoist conception of all things flowing and transforming within the universe.
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String theory: as applied to The Stone-Cene, is used to conceptualize the fundamental interconnectedness of all matter, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic structures. By viewing the universe as a network of vibrating strings, this theoretical framework aligns with the project's aim to represent both physical and virtual spaces as intertwined, with sound frequencies and vibrations acting as the medium connecting human perception, memory, and the natural world across time.