SYNOCENE - BEYOND THE ANTHROPOCENE

Natura 2000, AI, local communities 

A collaborative work imagined with a local community, the beings in a Natura 2000 forest, and AI.

How, in the context of profound transformation, can the world evolve and take shape with a strong and complex relationship between humanity, living, and non-living? 

What relationships are we developing with other species, natural elements, but also with AI? 

How can these forms of life or existence feed imaginations, build narratives, and inspire processes?

Synocene is a spatial sound installation that explores a decentralised view of our anthropocentric experience of the natural world. This work engages local communities, the beings inside Natura 2000 forests, and the contributions of artificial intelligence. 

The final outcome will exist as an immersive 360° spatial sound installation for public audiences. Visitors to this work will discover the many narratives created by the human experiences of nature in a hybrid writing with AI, along with forest field recordings from within the Natura 2000 site. To achieve the final installation, a community of people will be invited to encounter their local forest in a transformed state. From this experience, they will work with artificial intelligence to co-create narratives that investigate a post-anthropocentric view of nature. These audio recorded narratives will be paired with site-specific nature field recordings in a generative sound installation to create an ever-evolving attempt at a human/non-human/more-than-human impression of the natural world. 

During the Summer School many panels and debates focused on creating new narratives, imaginaries, and metaphors about how to reconnect with nature from another perspective. But one of the major difficulties encountered is how to move forward and to find the point(s) of de-centring our anthropocentric positioning. In this respect, Saskia Vermeylen’s presentation during the Nature and Law keynote was very inspiring. The ensuing conversations we had with her, during and after the Summer School, encouraged us to work in this direction. 

Another point of friction regarding the human-nature relationship is that of the interaction of human communities in natural spaces where they must cohabitate with the more-than-human. In discussions with Lucia Iglesias Blanco - Policy Officer, Nature Protection, Directorate-General for the Environment (EC) - it became apparent that European communities are not always fully supported by administrative schemes and political decisions in finding alternative and sustainable ways of coexisting with natural ecosystems. 

This project starts from these tensions, both the broader conceptual and very daily-practical, in the hope of seeking new ways of coexisting within our Western cultural framework. To achieve this, we will work in collaboration with a local community and together explore different perceptions of experiencing natural landscapes to create new narratives - producing the many voiced landscape outlined in David Abram’s The spell of the Sensuous. 

The final outcome will exist as an immersive 360° spatial sound installation for public audiences. Visitors to this work will discover the many narratives created by the human experiences of nature in a hybrid writing with AI, along with forest field recordings from within the Natura 2000 site. Through generative sound practices, the goal is an attempt to approach a de-centred anthropocentric experience of natural landscapes, bringing forth a new era where all ‘other voices’ come together.

Making worlds is not limited to humans 

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, The Mushroom at the End of the World (Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press, 2015), 22. 

How, in the context of profound transformation, can the world evolve and take shape with a strong and complex relationship between humanity, living, and non-living? What relationships are we developing with other species, natural elements, but also with AI? How can these forms of life or existence feed imaginations, build narratives, and inspire processes? 

Paris-based multidisciplinary artist Marina Wainer began asking these questions 3 years ago, following her encounter with Marie-Angèle Hermitte, a french researcher who has been working in the field of Nature’s rights for the past 30 years. During a presentation at Forum Design, Hermitte focused on ways in which natural elements could be recognized as legal subjects. Very interested in this approach, Wainer decided to explore these themes through the prism of her artistic practice, under the title: Wild Diplomacy. Designed under the framework of a residency with the art group Blast Theory and a visiting fellowship with two research groups of the University of Brighton, this work examines representations of natural elements as if they have legal status. 

In recent decades, ecosystems have been recognized as beings in a number of countries around the world - a radical shift concerning Nature’s right to exist for itself. Hermitte calls this a form of ‘legal animism’, a concept which she suggests can take several paths depending on different cultures. This raises the point of how natural elements are subjectivated in Western culture, where there are no ‘natural representatives’. Having no specific legitimacy in terms of representativeness of nature, the idea in Wild Diplomacy was to imagine how to embody and make perceptible the thoughts coming from other worlds; of envisaging a dialogue between humans, other species, natural elements; and of developing ‘interpersonal’ relations with non-humans. 

In much of New York-based musician Sam Nester’s work, finding new ways of communing with nature and reconceptualizing the human perception of the natural world is a focal point. Nester’s Arcadia light and sound installations take the real time biorhythmic data from native plants and convert them into corresponding sound and light cues. These immersive, synesthetic environmental installations invite audiences to experience the unseen processes of plants, and ask participants to reflect on their relationship to their environment. With regards to nature field recording and site-specific recording, Nester’s practice has been developed over the past decade. With projects ranging from generative video and sound installations, live performance pieces, and recorded albums, Nester’s experience in the genre of capturing and transforming sound covers three continents of collected audio. 

Since the beginning of his sound installation work, Nester has focused on the creation of generative systems for art making. Using algorithms to create never-ending, ever-different sound installations, Nester’s work is often immersive with interactive elements forming critical elements of design - leaving much for audience exploration. Underlining much of his creative path is the dichotomy between control and surrender. That which humans design, control, and structure, and that with which we allow to move freely and sweep us along. 

Combining the statements and practices of Wainer and Nester, this proposal aims at examining perceptions of non-human expressions to invent languages to communicate with ecosystems in a sensitive way. In order to do this, we should shape a posture that is no longer ‘human’. In their text Le Parlement des monstres, philosopher Paul B. Preciado evokes the idea of ‘ex-human’, which inspires a starting point for this proposal.

Forests have long held an important role in our economy and society – creating jobs, providing food, medicines, materials, clean water, and much more. For centuries, forests have been a thriving hub for cultural heritage and craftsmanship, tradition, and innovation. But as important as they were in the past, forests are more pressingly essential for our future. Forests are a natural ally in adapting to and fighting against climate change and will play a vital role in making Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. A healthy future for people, planet and prosperity therefore depends on ensuring healthy, biodiverse and resilient forests exist across Europe and the world. 

Forests also make a positive contribution to quality of life, providing a pleasant living environment, opportunities for recreation and preventive healthcare, whilst maintaining and enhancing environmental amenities and ecological values. Moreover, forests retain much of the spiritual and cultural heritage that defines Europe. Sustainable forest management contributes simultaneously to achieving economic, environmental and social objectives. Sustainably managed forests can be used for the production of wood and non-wood products, recreation etc. At the same time as delivering these public amenity values, sustainable forest management helps us achieve environ- mental objectives such as improving forest health, biodiversity, climate change resilience, protection of water and soil. 

Natura 2000 

While having some of the most densely populated areas in the world, Europe also has a very rich and diverse natural heritage. The Nature Directives* aim to ensure healthy nature in the European Union by providing a framework to protect species and natural habitats of conservation interest. The Directives establish the largest coordinated network of biodiversity-rich protected areas in the world, called Natura 2000, which covers more than 18% of the land area and about 9% of the sea area of the EU. They protect about 1,500 animal and plant species and some 200 rare habitat types inside and outside these protected areas and combine nature protection with sustainable land use and economic activity. 

The Natura 2000 network is now largely in place on land although gaps remain in the marine environment. Still, many Natura 2000 sites don’t have management plans with conservation objectives and measures. Key factors behind the shortcomings in implementation include limited resources, weak enforcement, poor integration of nature objectives into other policy areas, insufficient knowledge and access to data, and poor communication and stakeholder involvement. Moreover, those who implement the Directives, particularly at regional and local levels, are sometimes not sufficiently aware of their requirements or of the flexibility and opportunities they offer. This can lead to tensions between nature protection and economic activity. However, where targeted action takes place on a sufficient scale, the status of species and habitats improves, sometimes leading to remarkable recoveries. Moreover, there is increasing recognition that our natural environment underpins various sectors of our economy such as tourism. Conserving and using it sustainably are more important today than ever before. Doing so offers ample opportunities to attract and encourage investment in nature protection. 

Forests in Natura 2000 

Europe’s forests are amongst the most biodiversity rich of all terrestrial habitats in the EU. Thanks to their structural complexity, diversity and dynamic nature, they have for centuries been a major repository for much of Europe’s biodiversity. This is true not only for species living exclusively in ‘closed’ forests, but also for other species, especially invertebrates and birds, that require a mosaic of closed forest and other wooded land, including open scrubland and forest gaps. 

It is not surprising therefore that half of the Natura 2000 Network is made up of forests albeit with significant differences between countries and biogeographical regions. It is important to involve all relevant stakeholders in order to explore as far as possible the options which meet different expectations, to address and avoid possible conflicts and find solutions to compensate for economic loss (additional costs and income foregone) that could be caused by particular conservation measures which go beyond normal practice under sustainable forest management. 

Working with Communities 

Among the difficulties in managing such an expansive network of protected natural areas is connecting with communities who are affected by their implementation. In addition to a general lack of knowledge among Europeans of their network of protected areas designated to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, there are local communities who feel inconvenienced by limitations placed upon them through these protected areas. This project, designed by Marina Wainer and Sam Nester, will allow a community to engage with their local Natura 2000 forest and work at finding experiences and designing narratives toward a potential future. 

Ireland as the intended site 

Ireland’s native woodlands have a long history of exploitation. Over the centuries they have become increasingly fragmented and today the average forest size is only 6 ha with very few exceeding 100 ha. 

The Native Woodland Scheme 

The Native Woodland Scheme (NWS) was developed by the Forest Service in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Woodlands of Ireland and the Heritage Council. Its objective is to protect, enhance and expand Ireland’s native woodland resource and associated biodiversity, through appropriate management and planting. The Scheme comprises two separate elements: 

Element 1 - Conservation, which is focused on protecting and enhancing existing native woodland; 

Element 2 - Establishment, which is focused on creating new native woodland. 

Results and lessons learnt 

The Native Woodland Scheme is a key biodiversity measure within Ireland’s national forest policy. It also supports a wide range of other benefits and functions arising from native woodlands, relating to landscape, cultural heritage, wood and non-wood products and services, the practice of traditional woodland management techniques, environmental education, and carbon sequestration. The NWS has been operating for 12 years, it has enjoyed considerable success and has been welcomed by landowners faced with the dilemma of how best to manage their woodlands which have become economically unprofitable. This Scheme provides opportunities to protect and expand Ireland’s native woodland resource and associated biodiversity. 

It has already contributed significantly to the improvement of Natura 2000 sites. It is with this rich history of exploitation, current commitment to rehabilitation, and connection with Natura 2000 that Ireland is an ideal candidate for exploring a renewed vision of the natural world and a possible future if we are to achieve the ambitious European Green Deal.

* Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive) — OJ L 206 of 22.7.1992, p. 7. and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) — OJ L 20 of 26.01.2010. p. 7.

In collaboration with Lucia Iglesias Blanco, the artists will choose an Irish Natura 2000 forest site that is intimately connected with a local community. From here, Wainer and Nester will correspond with local stakeholders in order to create a cross-section of the community and their various relationships to the site. Together, the artists will identify 10 participants across age groups, all who identify different priorities with respect to their local forest. Relationship building with this community will begin remotely, gaining trust and preparing for comfortable exchanges in-person. 

Following this, Wainer and Nester will work in two stages with these 10 participants. Firstly, the participants will be invited to experiment with new forms of interaction within their forest in a transformed state. A state that questions our appearance, our perception, and our language. This will include:

• The use of masks to obscure our faces, but fit into the surrounding natural world. 
•  A modified form of communication. This will take shape through the use of breathing techniques only - removing the use of spoken language. 
• The utilization of binaural sound recording that will allow each member to perceive the forest in a new way. 

From these experiences, Wainer and Nester will then work in a community engagement workshop model with the participants to produce speculative fictions that explore relationships with the more-than-human world against the backdrop of the idea of a pivotal moment - the passage from the Anthropocene to the ‘Synocene’. A new era where all ‘other voices’ come together. Where human activity is moving from having a significant impact on the planet’s ecosystems to changing our relation- ship with the world, so that we can think of nature as something that is not separate from us. These will ultimately become the audio stories recorded for incorporation into the final sound installation work. 

To help build these stories within the workshop setting, another non-human dimension will be integrated: artificial intelligence. The human narratives that community members share will be taken by an AI algorithm and transformed in a hybrid writing environment. AI will also be fed the nature field recordings - the sounds of rivers, birds, insects, etc. to create new voices and vocabularies. This will become fictional material that questions both the creativity stemming from a machine and our capacity to explore different ways of living and existing on Earth, and allows us to de-centre our anthropocentric positioning. 

In HumaniTies and Artificial Intelligence, published by the European Commission in 2022, Max Craglia and Emilia Gómez address the question of the transformative nature of AI to rethink what it means to be human in an AI-powered world, and reset the course of our societies so that they are no longer riddled by inequality, discrimination and injustice. They state that this collective effort should be informed by knowledge from different disciplines and critical socio-analysis to identify the multiplicity of connections and explore possible futures. Within this same publication, Francesca Ferrando tells us that ‘words create worlds’. 

As this project looks at re-examining ecosystems from a de-centred anthropocentric position, AI’s role in exploring these possible futures is critical if we are to consider the multiplicity of beings in our world - human/non-human/more-than-human. 

To help achieve the use of AI on a meaningful level for the final outcome of this project, Wainer and Nester will be working in close collaboration with Isabelle Hupont, scientific project officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (HUMAINT team - JRC Seville). 

The field of AI has experienced incredible growth in the last decade. The most sophisticated AI models are now capable of performing complex tasks such as recognising everyday objects, identifying people, writing or translating text, generating images and even holding dialogues with humans. Nevertheless, in the very last years there has been increasing concern about the ethical and fair use of these systems. For example, facial recognition systems have been found to have significant demo- graphic biases, as they frequently fail to reliably identify dark-skinned people. Similarly, text generation systems have shown strongly gender-biased behaviour. These biases are a mere reflection of those in our own society, since we humans are responsible for creating the data that AI systems use to learn. 

The HUMAINT team focuses on studying how AI impacts human behaviour, as well as the impact humans have on AI. They have outstanding scientific publications in the field, particularly on how AI perceives objects and people in its environment, as well as the biases it commits in this perception. However, there is an essential part of the environment that remains uncovered: nature. AI research has not yet explored certain questions such as: how does AI perceive a forest? A plant? A river? What images, sounds, emotions does it associate with nature? Are there biases in AI’s perception of nature? Answering these questions is essential, as the AI’s response will be a reflection of our society’s thoughts and feelings towards natural beings. 

This project will be an unprecedented breakthrough in the understanding of how AI, humans and nature intertwine. On the one hand, the above novel questions will be answered. On the other hand, the testimonies collected from the community will provide the AI with a broader understanding of how people feel and perceive nature. The testimonies will be collected in an open data repository, which will be extended and enriched in the long term with new testimonies collected from different communities. 

Please Note:

Ireland is the only site proposed to keep the feasibility guaranteed within the production timeline and assumed budget restraints of the NaturArchy SciArt projects. However, the goal for this project is to be ongoing, as discussed with Lucia Iglesias Blanco and Isabelle Hupont, to replicate the process throughout a diverse selection of Natura 2000 forest sites, communities, and relationships to nature. This will further expand the data repository for AI, growing its understanding and perception of nature on a broader scale. This would involve a diverse range of people and forests from throughout the Natura 2000 network - allowing a Europe-wide return to nature with new perspectives.

Installation 

The final work will take the form of an immersive 360° spatial sound installation. The audience will discover both the speculative fictions created by the members of the local community in cooperation with AI, as well as nature field recordings from within the forest site. 

To enhance the impression of a change of worlds, visitors will be required to cross a symbolic boundary that will allow them to enter into the sound installation itself. This liminal space will be materialized by a curtain of fog where an image of the forest will be projected. 

This curtain of fog is a space of connection, the movement from the body to the emotions, an immersive space in which fog allows impalpable sensations to be felt. It is a space for suspension, in which impressions, appearances and disappearances return to the surface in a phantasmagorical way. 

Once on the other side, the audience will be plunged into another space-time where they can explore, feel, listen to all the elements which compose the sound installation. This room will be a dark space, where the public can sit and be immersed in 360° sound. Entry of the installation with the fog curtain to cross (click here to see a short video extract of the render)

Technical diagram of the entry of the installation (fog curtain, video projection and spotlights) 

• The water fog machine is programmed to diffuse fog continuously.
• The water fog machine is connected to a computer via a DMX controller, to a water source via a tube and to the diffusing structure by a connection. (all these materials are included with the machine) 
• The computer is also connected to the video projector which projects a photo of the forest. 
• 2 spotlights mark the floor to delineate the passage (optional). 

Technical diagram of the sound installation 

• All audio will be arranged in Ableton Live software according to its respective category (spoken, AI, natural, composed). Using MaxMSP algorithms, audio from these categories will be launched at random intervals (often overlapping with one another) and out into the spatial sound array. 
• This audio will be sent to the audio interface/mixer which will be connected to the 12 speakers within the room. These speakers will be placed at multiple heights to create a 3D sound experience. 
• This will create a never-ending, ever-different immersive sound experience that attempts a de-centered view of our anthropocentric experience of the na- tural world. Thereby getting us closer to NaturArchy - a natural contract. 
• Please Note: the water fog machine, computers and all the wiring will be hidden