Possible futures from the intersection of nature, tech and society | Natsai Audrey Chieza

Transcriber:

譯者: Alexis Young 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

1998 年，我和一些朋友 在一個國家級藝術比賽獲勝，

獎品是去巴黎迪士尼樂園玩一個禮拜，

同行的有世界各地數百名孩子，

In 1998, my friends and I won a national art competition.

我們是聯合國教科文組織 世界兒童峰會的代表。

The prize was a week in Disneyland Paris,

這不是一般的迪士尼樂園旅遊，

with hundreds of other children from across the world,

除了在樂園玩耍和交朋友外，

as delegates to UNESCO's International Children's Summit.

我們還對世界的未來進行研討：

如何克服污染問題

Now this was no ordinary trip to Disneyland.

以及它們對環境和人類健康 帶來的威脅？

Between running riot in the park and making friends,

we workshopped the future of this planet.

我們如何維護世界人權，

保障平等、正義和尊嚴？

How could we overcome the problems of pollution

在峰會尾聲，

and their threats to human and environmental health?

我們做了一個「二十年時光膠囊」，

How could we guarantee universal human rights

像種子一般，每個國家種下一個 他們盼望的未來景象。

of equality, justice and dignity?

但環顧今日世界，

Towards the end of the summit,

這些對未來的想像顯然尚未實現。

we created a 20-year time capsule,

我們依然面對相同的危機，

with each country planting a vision of the future they hoped for.

各國數十年的不作為讓情況更糟糕。

But as I look around today,

it's clear to me that those visions have not come true yet.

由於氣候緊急狀態， 我們面臨著全球性生存危機，

We're confronted by the same crises,

made infinitely worse through decades of geopolitical inaction.

使得這世界上資源最少、 權利被剝奪最多的人

We now face global existential risks as a result of the climate emergency,

變得更加的脆弱， 儘管問題不是他們造成的。

迪士尼那趟旅程

with the world's least-resourced and most disenfranchised

讓我了解藝術與設計能夠塑造

made more vulnerable despite having contributed least to the problem.

未來的其他可能性。

問題是：我們該如何實踐？

That trip to Disneyland

taught me that art and design had the power to imagine

今天，我領導一個設計小組， 叫「法伯未來」。

other possible futures.

我和我的團隊在生物學、

The question is: "How do we actually build them?"

科技與社會的交會點進行設計。

Today, I lead a design agency called Faber Futures,

透過研發合作、

結盟及其他策略，

and my team and I design at the intersection of biology,

我們模擬了一個人類 和地球共榮的未來，

technology and society.

Through research and development collaborations,

而生物技術在其中的角色 是由多重願景塑造出來的。

partnerships, and other strategies,

we model a future in which both people and planet can thrive

我們設計的是未來的原型。

我們開發了無毒、省水的 布料染製流程，

and where the role that biotechnology plays is shaped through plural visions.

透過微生物染料，

Our design work prototypes the future.

為紡織及時尚產業

We have developed toxin-free, water-efficient textile dye processes

開發循環經濟的創新流程。

with a pigment-producing bacterium,

你可能聽說過數據監控，

pioneering new ways of thinking about circular design

但如果是生物性的數據監控呢？

運用人類益生菌叢的開放原始碼數據，

for the textile and fashion industries.

You've probably already heard of data surveillance,

我們創造了與 DNA 數據挖掘 倫理議題相關的實驗藝術品。

but what if it was biological?

Using open-source data on the human microbiome,

我們如何在生物技術產業的範疇內

we’ve created experiential artworks that engage with the ethics of DNA mining.

集結多種專業協力設計？

為了得到答案，我們設計了 「銀杏創意駐留專案」，

How can we embed a culture of multidisciplinary codesign

並邀請具創意的從業者

from within the industry of biotechnology?

用好幾個月的時間， 在「銀杏生物工事鑄造廠」

To find out, we designed the Ginkgo Creative Residency,

發想他們的企劃。

我們也創造並發表 不同專業領域人士之間、

which invites creative practitioners

to spend several months developing their own projects

特殊而有廣度的對談。

from within the Ginkgo Bioworks foundry.

像是非洲未來學家與天體生物學家、

We also generate and publish unique and expansive dialogues

食品專家與原住民活動家。

between people with different types of knowledges --

他們及其他人講述的故事，

Afrofuturists with astrobiologists,

為我們提供了工具， 來想像其他生物領域的未來。

food researchers with Indigenous campaigners.

設計深深滲透到我們的生活中，

The stories that they and others tell

然而我們往往只注意到事物本身，

give us the tools we need to imagine other biological futures.

而不是背後產出它們的複雜系統。

我的團隊和我探索這些系統，

Design deeply permeates all of our lives,

將文化與科技、生態與經濟等領域

and yet we tend to recognize things

and not the complex systems that actually produce them.

聯繫起來。

我們辨識問題，並找出 能創造的價值和價值觀。

My team and I explore these systems,

connecting fields like culture and technology,

我們將設計簡報視為使用說明書，

ecology and economics.

We identify problems, and where value and values can be created.

畫出問題的背景，

並找出可能的解決方案。

達到這一點可能需要建立新的網絡、

We like to think about a design brief as an instruction manual,

工具，甚至基礎設施。

mapping the context of the problem,

and where we might find solutions.

這些元素如何互相作用

Getting there might involve establishing new networks,

可能決定研究與開發、材料規格、

building new tools, and even infrastructure.

生產和分配的方式、

How all of these pieces interact with one another

最終受益者是誰， 以及付出的環境成本。

can determine research and development, material specification,

因此，你可以想像 那些促成智能手機設計

manufacturing and distribution.

Who ultimately benefits, and at what environmental cost.

或共享乘車的服務的系統。

但當涉及生物設計時，

So you can start to imagine the kinds of systems that might drive

事情變得更加抽象。

the design of your smartphone or even a rideshare service.

生物工程師設計微生物 來完成工業上有用的事情，

But when it comes to the design of biology,

例如生物修復有毒廢物場

things become a little bit more abstract.

或用再生材料替代石油基紡織品。

Organism engineers design microbes to do industrially useful things,

要在大規模上實現 這種精確的生物設計，

like bioremediate toxic waste sites

or replace petroleum-based textiles with renewable ones.

DNA 定序、自動化和機器學習 等工具是必不可少的。

To architect this level of biological precision and performance at scale,

它們使生物工程師 能夠深入研究生物學，

tools like DNA sequencing, automation and machine learning are essential.

提出科學問題來解決 深度的技術挑戰。

They allow the organism engineers to really zoom in on biology,

在分子層面設計的成功解決方案

asking scientific questions to solve deep technical challenges.

最終會與全球性的挑戰相互作用。

但如果所有研究和開發 都只專注於技術問題，

Successful solutions designed at a molecular scale

那麼這種排除更廣泛背景條件的作法 會帶來什麼風險？

eventually interact with those at a planetary one.

But if all of the research and development focuses on the technical question alone,

過去一年多來，我們都經歷了 生物學、技術和社會之間

then what do we risk by excluding the broader context?

前所未有的交匯點。

隨著新冠疫苗的快速開發，

We've all spent over a year now living at an unprecedented intersection

我們見證了技術為我們 提供了關鍵的解決方案，

between biology, technology and society.

但它們並不總是萬靈藥，

We've witnessed, with the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine,

因為現實世界是一個 複雜的社會和經濟體系，

that although techno-fixes offer us a critical remedy,

主導的系統決定了利益的分配。

they don't always provide a panaceum,

and that’s because the real world is a complex social and economic one,

在全球化的世界中，

還有數億人需要等兩年

才能接種疫苗，

where dominant systems determine the distribution of benefits.

而這樣的延遲可能削弱

It will be another two years

before hundreds of millions across the world

疫苗對我們社會整體的有效性。

科學一直被認為是

receive their emergency vaccines,

與現實脫節的，

which, in a globalized world, risks undermining its efficacy

這種想法對生物技術的承諾 帶來了很大的限制。

on all our communities.

Scientific endeavors have long been considered separate

當我們忽略設計背後的完整背景， 我們可能以為自己在解決問題，

to real-world contexts,

an idea that places profound limitations on the promises of biotechnology.

後來卻發現實際上沒有什麼改變。

同樣的邏輯也出現在

By missing the full scope of design, we may think we’re solving problems

生物技術的消費品和產業中。

and realize later that actually, not much has changed.

到目前為止， 它為商品市場提供創新，

And a similar logic is emerging

能夠成功替換有問題的成分，

in biotechnology for consumer goods and industry.

但仍維持固有的思維模式 和權力動態。

So far, it offers innovations for commodities markets,

這些社會和生態不平等的 技術解決方案，

drop-in replacements that change problematic ingredients,

雖然在技術上合理， 但無意中加劇了這些不平等。

and yet sustain prevailing mindsets and dynamics of power.

要解決這些不對等，

Again, technically sound solutions

我們需要採取更具革命性的方法，

that unwittingly reinforce social and ecological inequities.

這要從提出「我們希望擁有一個 什麼樣的世界？」的問題開始。

Addressing these asymmetries

requires us to take a more revolutionary approach,

如果我們可以同時進行這兩者？

如果我們可以在分子層面設計，

one that begins by asking "What kind of a world do we wish for?"

同時考慮現實世界？

我們需要提出更細緻的問題

So what if we could do both?

來達成整合多方考量的生物設計，

What if we could design at the molecular scale,

with the real world in mind?

不問「人們會買什麼？」

應該問「如果我們將社會而非商品 放在首位會怎樣？」

A more integrated approach to designing with biology

requires us to ask more nuanced questions;

「分布式生物技術

能否讓人們找到解決 本地問題的本地化解決方案？」

not "What will people buy,"

but "What if we put communities, rather than commodities, first."

「我們能否創造一種生物技術， 讓它超越單一文化的藩籬，

"Could distributed biotechnology

又像大自然本身一樣， 擁抱多種適應性？」

enable people to find local solutions to local problems?"

"Can we move beyond a biotechnology that creates monocultures

「我們如何為下一代

提供他們需要的工具、空間和社會，

to one which, like nature itself, embraces a multiplicity of adaptations?"

來拓展他們的技能、知識和想法？」

"How do we equip the next generation with the tools,

解決這些問題的工作

spaces and communities they need to broaden their skills,

已經大量展開，

「開放生物經濟實驗室」

knowledge and ideas?"

在英國、加納和喀麥隆設有據點，

An incredible amount of work that begins to address these questions

設計開放數據的研究工具， 將創新的地域

is already underway.

The Open Bioeconomy Lab,

which has nodes in the UK, Ghana and Cameroon,

擴展到資源有限的環境。

幾千年來，

designs open-source research tools to expand geographies of innovation

我們馴化了植物，作為食物，

創造了營養豐富、多樣化 且美味的食品文化。

into resource-constrained contexts.

Over thousands of years,

微拜爾（MicroByre）也想 對微生物做同樣的事。

we've domesticated plants to make them edible,

這家位於舊金山的初創公司 組成了多樣化的微生物資料庫，

creating nutrient-rich, diverse and delicious food cultures.

以發展更具韌性的生物工具包。

MicroByre wants to do the same, but for microbes.

多樣的色彩和各種應用方式

The San Francisco based start-up assembles diverse microbial libraries

都可以從生產色素的各種細菌達成。

for a more resilient biological toolkit.

在倫敦著名的藝術學校中央聖馬丁，

Imagine the expanded color palettes and different applications,

來自不同學科的學生

from different types of pigment-producing bacteria.

正在使用生物介質

And from London's famed art school, Central Saint Martins,

創造新的永續設計。

他們在濕實驗室中工作，

students from different disciplines

這個實驗室位於歷史悠久的 時尚紡織系和建築系之間，

are generating new sustainable design practices

from biological medium.

實現了藝術與科學教育 激進前衛的重心交會。

You'll find them at work in a wet lab,

nested between historic fashion textiles and architecture departments,

這種生物技術的系統化設計工作 有許多例子——

a radical reunification of the arts and sciences in education.

將它們拼湊在一起，你就可以一瞥

我們生物領域未來的不同願景。

Many examples of this type of systemic design work in biotechnology exist --

我不知道

我們留在巴黎的時間膠囊 現在是甚麼情況，

piece them together, and you start to glimpse different visions

但我記得當時許下的期望： 一個更公正、更有意義的世界，

of our biological futures.

在那裡整個大自然都能繁榮發展。

I don't know what happened

to the time capsule we left behind in Paris,

技術和設計以各自的方式 和扮演的角色，

but I do remember wishing for a more just and meaningful world,

阻礙我們實現這一個目標，

where all of nature can thrive.

我們有能力改變這一點。

In their own significant ways,

從根本上來說，

這表示我們必須認識到，設計生物、 以生物設計以及從生物出發的設計，

technology and design have played their role in denying us this,

but it's in our power to change that.

都是在設計系統而不是物件，

而真正有野心的設計提案，

Fundamentally,

this means recognizing that the design of, with and from biology

應該以繁榮、照護和公平

is designing systems and not stuff,

為核心的價值觀。

我們有機會構建 真正具有變革性的系統，

and that with a truly ambitious design proposition,

one that’s based on values that center flourishing,

這些系統可以開闢對於價值 和影響程度更全面的衡量方式，

caretaking and equity.

We have the opportunity to build truly transformative systems,

並改變我們對於大規模創新 和經營的思維，

以應對我們所需要的未來。

systems that open up holistic measures of value and impact,

and how we think about scaling innovation

and doing business for the futures we now need.