Talk Event
- #Finished
- #Online Event
In partnership with FabCafe Bangkok, BANGKOK DESIGN WEEK 2024: Livable Scape, SPCS talks to multiple projects which explore solutions that meld both biology and digital technology to propose new ways of co-existence between human and nature.
Sat, January 26, 2024 UTC-04:00
17:00 - 19:00 JST, 15:00 - 17:00 BKK
Online Session
Free
In the age of digitalization, we often forget the material resources needed to power our virtual realities. The energy, components and substances that power and run the machines we build our digital worlds upon are out of sight, and often out of mind.
Instead, is it possible to reimagine a future where we move from inorganic materials to living biology? Could we mine ores using grasslands instead of excavators? Is it possible that our computers and data centers run not on metals but on plants? What if our parks could maintain themselves by selling their own excess energy?
As part of BANGKOK DESIGN WEEK 2024: Livable Scape, SPCS talks with projects which are blurring the lines between bio and digital to explore new solutions for our planet in crisis.
Geomerce
Plants absorb metals from the soil through their roots. Certain plants are particularly good at absorbing certain heavy metals such as Zinc, Copper and Nickel from the soil where they grow, and accumulating these metals in their leaves. Those plants are known as hyper-accumulators. The accumulated metals can be extracted by harvesting the plants’ leaves and burning the biomass. This process is called phyto-mining.
Starting from this notion, GeoMerce rethinks the way we commonly think of agriculture. Since many of the accumulated heavy metals are listed on international markets like the London Metal Exchange, fields and crops become financial assets as sources and reservoirs of capitals. In this installation, the metal absorption process of selected plants is tracked. The amount of metal in the plants is crossed with the real-time value of the accumulated metals. As a result, the value of the plants varies constantly according to the metals’ market value and the plants’ accumulation performances. GeoMerce draws a scenario in which agriculture blurs with finance and farming decisions are made according to both financial changes and scientific progress.
The GeoMerce installation is made of three parts, one of which is represented by leaves of accumulator plants that have been cleared through a chemical process to show their capillary system, showing where the metal is accumulated and makes a direct relation between the plants and the metals.
Related Articles
GeoMerce
Green spaces in cities are crucial in improving the quality of life of its residents. From reducing pollution to serving as a space for community interaction and promoting mental health, green spaces can eventually increase the economic development of an area.
In Thailand however, public spaces are often disconnected from the communities they should be serving. Without community involvement, the burden of maintenance falls on civic agencies, reducing the economic sustainability of the space.
CITY BUG aims to enhance urban green spaces by developing a self-sustaining unit that utilizes existing technology. The idea is to create visually appealing green spaces that generate income independently, employing a robot pot with IoT technology to control essential factors for plant life. Energy harvesting technology powers these robots, which can transform underutilized areas such as abandoned areas, ponds and even canals, into simulated green public spaces, or Pop-up Parks. CITY BUG not only contributes to community harmony but also serves as an educational tool that facilitates learning about botany and technology through a QR database system processing environmental information. The main goal is to emphasize the societal significance of green areas and foster the development of sustainable cities that meet lifestyle needs.
The CITY BUG is equipped with IoT sensors and generates its own income to reduce the maintenance costs of green spaces.
- Individuals and designers with an interest in biophilic design, exploring bio-based solutions.
- Researchers and companies interested in energy consumption and alternative energy sources.
- Civil servants, architects and developers involved in urban planning and community activation initiatives.
- Professionals from companies actively engaged in circular design and nature-positive approaches.
- This program will be conducted in English. (There are plans to provide either real-time interpretation or display automatic translation text, but please note that not all talks may be covered.)
- Photos of participants and program content may be posted on the loftwork.com/FabCafe websites at a later date.
- The program is subject to change without prior notice.
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Giovanni Innella
Associate Professor, VCUarts Qatar
Giovanni (Turin, 1982) is a designer, researcher and curator trained at the Polytechnic of Turin and then at the Design Academy Eindhoven, to finally obtain his Phd at Northumbria University. During his professional career, Giovanni has participated and curated several exhibitions in international contexts including the Droog gallery in Amsterdam, the Triennale in Milan and The New Institute in Rotterdam. His projects are part of the collections of the Design Museum Den Bosch and the Centre des Arts Plastiques in Paris. His project GeoMerce, done in collaboration with Gionata Gatto, is part of the permanent collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris. Furthermore, Giovanni writes and publishes in the academic and non-academic fields. Giovanni has covered faculty positions in Tokyo, Chicago and is currently an Associate Professor at VCUarts Qatar.
Giovanni (Turin, 1982) is a designer, researcher and curator trained at the Polytechnic of Turin and then at the Design Academy Eindhoven, to finally obtain his Phd at Northumbria University. During his professional career, Giovanni has participated and curated several exhibitions in international contexts including the Droog gallery in Amsterdam, the Triennale in Milan and The New Institute in Rotterdam. His projects are part of the collections of the Design Museum Den Bosch and the Centre des Arts Plastiques in Paris. His project GeoMerce, done in collaboration with Gionata Gatto, is part of the permanent collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris. Furthermore, Giovanni writes and publishes in the academic and non-academic fields. Giovanni has covered faculty positions in Tokyo, Chicago and is currently an Associate Professor at VCUarts Qatar.
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Kalaya Kovidvisith
FabCafe Bangkok Co-founder
Kalaya Kovidvisith is Co-founder of FabCafe Bangkok and Managing Director of FABLAB Thailand. She holds Master degree in Design and Computation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research interests focus on how digital fabrication and biotechnology reinforce the changing relationship in industry and create the new business model for the next design generation. Kalaya is Global Entrepreneur Summit Delegate of 2015 and Asia Pacific Weeks Berlin 2016.
Kalaya Kovidvisith is Co-founder of FabCafe Bangkok and Managing Director of FABLAB Thailand. She holds Master degree in Design and Computation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research interests focus on how digital fabrication and biotechnology reinforce the changing relationship in industry and create the new business model for the next design generation. Kalaya is Global Entrepreneur Summit Delegate of 2015 and Asia Pacific Weeks Berlin 2016.
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Sarah Ho
FabCafe Kyoto
Sarah graduated from the National University of Singapore with a BA in Communications and New Media. After which, she spent 3 years in Tinkertanker Pte Ltd, an edu-tech makerspace developing and implementing programs and kits for STEAM education in Singapore. In 2022, she graduated from Bunka Fashion Graduate School, where her research centered around zero-waste apparel production.
Bringing her enthusiasm for both education and connecting people, Sarah joined the Kyoto team in 2022 to expand the SPCS team and deepen engagement with the surrounding universities. She is particularly interested in zero-waste systems, tinkering and new mediums for cross-cultural exchange.
Sarah graduated from the National University of Singapore with a BA in Communications and New Media. After which, she spent 3 years in Tinkertanker Pte Ltd, an edu-tech makerspace developing and implementing programs and kits for STEAM education in Singapore. In 2022, she graduated from Bunka Fashion Graduate School, where her research centered around zero-waste apparel production.
Bringing her enthusiasm for both education and connecting people, Sarah joined the Kyoto team in 2022 to expand the SPCS team and deepen engagement with the surrounding universities. She is particularly interested in zero-waste systems, tinkering and new mediums for cross-cultural exchange.
Co-organizers
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FabCafe Bangkok
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SPCS
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04:00 – 04:15
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Introductions
- Kalaya Kovidvisith (FabCafe Bangkok, Founder)
- Sarah Ho (SPCS, Moderator) -
04:15 – 04:45
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Presentation - Geomerce
- Giovanni Innella -
04:45 – 05:10
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Presentation - City Bug
- Kalaya Kovidvisith -
05:10 – 05:45
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Panel Discussion, Q&A
- Giovanni Innella
- Kalaya Kovidvisith
- Sarah Ho (SPCS, Moderator) -
05:45 – 06:00
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Closing
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Date & Time
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Sat, January 26, 2024 17:00 - 19:00 JST, 15:00 - 17:00 BKK UTC-04:00
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Venue
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Online Session
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Fee
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Free
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Organizers & Sponsors
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Co-organizers: FabCafe Bangkok, SPCS
