I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: Designing for and with Insects, Fungi, and Humans

Dan Parker*, Zeliha Asya Ilgun, Ariel Cheng Sin Lim, Hana Vasatko, Dan Vy Vu, Natalia Piórecka, Svenja Keune

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This pictorial confronts the urgent need to shift design practices in response to the past and ongoing destruction of habitat structures and the resulting losses of biodiversity. To do this, it illustrates the first iteration of I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: an architectural installation that endeavours to support coexistence between local insects, fungi, and humans. The installation is an outcome of the workshop “Interspecies Exploration by Bio-Digital Manufacturing Technologies'' during the first part of the I.N.S.E.C.T. Summer Camp (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, August 2022). The 9-day workshop brought together a group of four organisers and nine selected participants to engage with the challenges of designing for and with other living beings. Aiming to develop novel approaches to creating urban habitat structures, the workshop involved parametric design, clay 3D printing, mycelium-based composites, and freeform crocheting. We explored questions of interspecies design by prototyping objects iteratively while conversing and reflecting. Our discussion lists the insights we gained from this process of collaborative and critical making. We offer suggestions for involving a range of human and nonhuman stakeholders in design; reflect on practical and ethical questions when working with living materials; identify challenges of foregrounding nonhuman needs while dealing with technical or logistical constraints; and outline ways to approach the complexity of intervening in ecosystems. These considerations may help inform the future work of designers who want to integrate the perspectives of multiple species into their designs. As a living laboratory undergoing continual monitoring, I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin provides a useful foundation for developing further iterations and a community that exceeds the duration of the camp.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)228-247
Number of pages20
JournalTemes de Disseny
Volume2023
Issue number39
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • Biodesign
  • digital fabrication
  • interspecies collaboration
  • interspecies design
  • more-than-human architecture
  • mycelium
  • textiles

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts
  • Architecture
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

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