DESIGN IN CRISIS
SENSING LIKE AN ANIMAL
FIVE WEEKS UNTIL SUBMISSION
-----------------PROGRESSION-----------------
We had a meeting with the beavers, and here we tried to come up with a contract. Our aim was to bring them back to their environment and we establish a two-way contract (on the right), where we can help them and they can help the humans using the Isar.
We created a toolkit (image below), meant for communicating and working WITH beavers and thereby maintaining beaver dams.
TOOLKIT
1. SOUNDS
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Michel Leclair: we learnt from the beaver whisperer that this techniques to communicate with them
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inviting them to build dams in certain places through the sound op flowing water
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We will try to make a sequence of sounds by the Isar.
2. SMELLS
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Artists in Tierra de Fuego, Chile are working on perfumes
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We’ll use the smells of different beaver territories instead of the chicken wire, again to invite them to other places, but not prohibit them
3. RULES
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For the user of the toolkit
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Rules
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You should only intervene in structures that start posing a problem
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You should intervene in time, not when the dam is already built
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You should use it during the day, when the beavers are not working
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You should only use the stuff included in the toolkit
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The changes shouldn’t be to dramatic
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Use the pipes rather than making structural changes on the dams, since it’s less invasive and the dams can stay intact.
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4. PIPES
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We will incorporate a system to control the water level by using pipes
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It doesn’t damage the dams, but actually makes them more effective
5. MAP
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We’ll keep track with maps on how they’re responding
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We’ll document the changes we made to the Isar to help them as well (islands, trees, sounds, smells,…)
6. FLIPPERS
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Useful to work like a beaver
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Since we try to create a distance so beavers can work more peacefully, you’ll need those to cross from the shore to the so called “islands”
7. GLOVES + NAILS
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You use these instead of human methods, less of an intervention on the environment
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Nails to be able to grab and scratch more
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Gloves as a protection from the water, cold and other factors
------------------NEXT STEPS------------------
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create second generation of the toolkit, seperate the tools to work like a beaver (gloves, flippers and add swimsuit) and tools to maintain the dams (pipes, map,...)
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experiment with the Michel Leclair methods of communicating with sounds by the Isar and present it in a video or audio file
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3D simulation of how the Isar would change with the dams
FLUID EXPERIENCE
fictional conversation with the beaver to illustrate our position/ role