When? 14 November 16-17:30 (CET)
Where? PAM 489 and on Zoom
In After Geoengineering Buck argues for an understanding of solar radiation management and carbon storage and sequestration as a variety of practices that can be implemented in different ways, with radically different consequences. To explore these practices, Buck collects interviews and fieldnotes, but, crucially, she also demonstrates the power of speculative fiction, especially nonlinear or interactive fiction, as a tool to explore the details and human-scale repercussions of geoengineering practices. Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel Ministry for the Future also highlights such practicalities, specifically in chapter 10 regarding the deployment of atmospheric sprays, and the politics involved. In this session we’ll continue to dwell on the value of interactive fiction and playful experimentation using Darnov’s short essay on terraforming videogames as a reference.
Readings:
Buck, Holly Jean. “Introduction” in After Geoengineering. Verso, 2019. 1-49.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. “Chapter 10,” Ministry for the Future. Orbit 2020. 3pp.
Darnov, Doron. “What Happens When Gamers Become (Digital) Geoengineers?” Edge Effects. 23 June 2020. https://edgeeffects.net/digital-terraforming/