Screengrab All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace - Episode 2

Week 1 : Dipping my toes into the well of knowledge🦶

Driven by my curiousity, I eased myself into the topic by watching documentaries and online seminars. First, to familarise myself with the crossover of technology and nature, I watched the second episode of Adam Curtis' series All Watched By The Machines of Loving Grace - where I learnt about the history of computers, systems and feedback loop. Next, I watched an online seminar of Madeline Schwartzman - where I reflected about human senses and her design practice. Lastly, I explored the works of The Institue of Queer Ecology where they blur the lines between human and non-human intimacy.

Walking Animation


① All Watched by The Machines of Loving Grace 🤖

Firstly, I watched the second documentary in Adam Curtis' series. The documentary explores how humans have innovated technological devices over the years to study various aspects of our natural world. These devices are used to study things like deers and to detect bombs, but fundamentally, they are built to monitor and analyze systems so that humans can take action.

Key Thinker, Jay Forrestor suggested that we are all part of an interconnected network/system, much like the roots of a tree, and the goal is always to strive for balance. The documentary then turns to humans' relationship with the environment as a pressing system to attend to.

② See Yourself Sensing 🪬

I attended this eye-opening seminar where the designer/artist Schwazrtman used an illustration of an airplane and a pilot to explain how traditional human senses are being augmented by machines. (See below) She suggested that this augmentation changes the way we perceive things, which can be beneficial in the creative process. I found her abstract thinking and approach very inspiring, especially her use of the body as a creative medium. I also learned that she has been working on a project called 'Face Nature,' which challenges the traditional human-nature relationship by using natural materials to adorn her face and hands.

③ Institute of Queer Ecology 🧚

Recalling my time at exchange in the Netherlands, I vaguely recall the term “queer ecology” at my studio during contextual studies class. I googled and learnt about the theoretical framework of queer ecology that fundamentally questions the traditional, heteronormative perception of nature. traditional binaries such as male/female or natural/unnatural, suggesting that nature is diverse, fluid, and non-binary.

Thinking Animation

Quick Sketches ✏️

Feeling inspired these learnings, I did a quick sketch to practise my imagination from their lens. Something the blurs between the lines of unnatural/natural, human/non-human.

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