Instrumenting(s)

In his Foundation trilogy, the science-fiction author Issac Asimov famously developed the fictious discipline of ‘Psycho-history’. Described as the ‘quintessential sociology’, Asimov suggested that the future could be predicted by examining the complex interplay of the past: where the movements of individual people remain opaque, the movements of societies as a whole can be foreseen by a careful reading of the systems and processes upon which they have been built. By acknowledging the inter-relating factors that make up the past, it is possible, or so ‘Psycho-history’ tells us, to accurately infer where present plans may lead, to ‘read’ the trajectory of human development.

The Instrumenting(s) project make no lofty claim to be able to tell the future. And yet, our starting point is the same as Asimov’s: by acknowledging the complex intersects upon which communities are structured – their legal, ecological, geographic, cultural and linguistic realities – is it then possible to predict, and even pre-empt, negative outcomes in advance of their happening? Is it possible, in short, to ‘read’ the activities, materials and structures of our current social systems – their signals - with a view to supporting new activities and ways of working that might offer more beneficial outcomes?

Bringing together experts in law, sound, geology, and speculative thought, the Instrumenting(s) project seeks to develop a ‘geo-social’ instrument that might allow such readings to take place. Part speculative fiction, part pragmatic methodology, our goal is to explore participatory, inclusive approaches to support communities as they navigate their legal, social and ecological landscapes.