Ecological Intelligences
Adam Drazin, University College London
Meghan McGrath, Future Demands Lead, IBM Infrastructure
Overview
How can social sciences inspired by art—and art inspired by social sciences—help us tap into ecological intelligences and navigate environmental crises? This salon uses the work of renowned Finnish artist duo IC-98 as a reference to provoke our thinking and discussion. Modern societies have largely ignored ecological intelligences in their pursuit of economic growth and technological progress. This disregard has led to widespread and systemic environmental crises – climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse – which may threaten the very foundations of human survival through the impact that these crises have on our environment.
IC-98’s award-winning work tackles the troubled boundaries of society and nature and is often inspired by social science theories of power and technology. Meet the artists and learn about their spellbinding and urgent work in this video.
References for Participants
IC-98 (portfolio) – https://socialtoolbox.com/files/IC-98lores.pdf.
About the Hosts
Adam Drazin, University College London
Adam is an Associate Professor at UCL (University College London), where he is part of the material culture section. His current work is on design responses to digital fashion and fabrics, and his most recent book is Design Anthropology in Context (2021, Routledge). He is co-editor of two journals, Home Cultures and the Journal of Material Culture. In his teaching, he convenes postgraduate design anthropology research projects in the Studio of Material Life. Previous work includes working at HP Labs, at Intel, on cultures of care in Romania and the Romanian diaspora, and on the implications of the smart materials revolution.
Meghan McGrath, Future Demands Lead, IBM Infrastructure
Meghan McGrath is the Future Demands Lead for IBM Infrastructure. She led the design and ethnography work on IBM Pervasive Encryption, which work has been featured in Fast Company and in a HBS case study. She represented IBM at the 3Ai Institute from 2019-2020.
What Is a Salon?
In Salons, we gather in smaller groups to build collective intelligence about pressing or emerging topics. Hosts set the stage with key points and provocations, then participants drive the discussion, sharing diverse expertise and experiences. We come away with deeper understanding, new strategies and tactics for our work, and a wonderful network of thought partners.