Translating the Non-Human Experience
In this project, students were tasked to design from the perspective of a non-human entity. Rather than asking what humans need, want, or do, students needed to explore how another being (animal, plant, geological system, algorithm, fungus, weather pattern, object, or machine) might understand and inform key behaviors in the world.
The goal was to translate this investigation into a speculative ritual, action, or performance that expresses how this entity engages with the world on its own terms.
This project is about decentering the human and exploring alternative perspectives, senses, values, and modalities. It is about expanding the present by imagining other ways of acting, sensing, and existing in the world.
The students were given four steps to follow:
- Choose a Non-Human Entity
- Map the Entity’s Qualities
- Assign a behavior
- Translate Into a Ritual, Action, or Performance
Student Examples:
