Abstract:
A mix of folly and hubris underpins the conclusion that, having managed to wreak unprecedented havoc on Earth and its inhabitants, Western Science can and must now take the reins and lead efforts in planetary stewardship to ‘tame Gaia’. In our recent proposal to redefine sustainability around species’ interdependent well-being, which we have argued cybernetics shows is too complex to be controlled top-down. Reflecting on three principles of multispecies sustainability, this talk: 1) traces why more-than-human intelligence is key to “absorbing variety” involved in meeting diverse, changing, interdependent and inseparable needs of multiple species, 2) explores what forms “operational autonomy” might take in systems that rely on and respect multispecies agency, and 3) speculates about more-than-human anticipatory capacities. Taking up the symposium’s theme, the talk concludes with a brief glimpse into related creative collaborations, followed by an appeal to jointly imagine arts of planetary gardening for multispecies sustainability: gardening not as taming, but as co-creation, negotiation, coexistence, mutual respect, caring for and being cared for by other life.
Bio:
Christoph Rupprecht is a geographer working on cities from the perspectives of food, agriculture, green space, degrowth, multispecies/more-than-human thinking and solarpunk. Currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation at Ehime University, he’s also a founding member and Director at the non-profit organization FEAST. Recent work includes the paper “Multispecies sustainability”, the science fiction anthology “Multispecies Cities” (World Weaver Press), and involvement in the upcoming exhibition “Microbes really are all around” launching at the Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in April 2022.