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Welcome to Synthetic Organics.
Explore the Natural World that once existed on Earth.
Synthetic Organics is a simulated museum of the natural world, archiving it for a speculative dystopian future where natural objects are extinct, replaced by synthetic simulacra. It’s a virtual world lying dormant until the average temperature on Earth hits 28 degrees Celsius, at which point most of the world will be uninhabitable. It’s indexed to automatically interrupt all broadcasting when this occurs. The virtual context allows it to be experienced by anyone, anywhere, at any time, since access and temporality is core to the work. Positioned as an informative piece, it highlights how aware yet inactive humanity is about climate change in the 2020s.
Visually, there lies a tension between the conceptual horror of a world without nature and the aesthetic beauty of the glittering synthesised objects. There’s a sense of attraction to the synthetic, while simultaneously despising and fearing it. Glittering imagery compares the objects to precious jewels, highlighting the predicted rarity and commodified value of nature. The fact that these objects are generic reinforces the extent of the impact of climate change. Despite lacking visible human subjects, the work’s anthropocentrism is clear through the unnatural and often linear organisation of subjects. It reflects humanity’s power over nature and questions this dynamic. A tonal dissonance lies between the bleak conversations from the AI and the nonchalant and almost mocking delivery. Generic responses from the intelligence question its power while still resulting in threatening predictions. The sensitivity of civilisation is highlighted through glitches and errors, resulting in the objects having an entropic vulnerability to their own vitality. Theoretical research underpins the choice of subject matter, with references to commercialisation, origins of life and religion. The subjects are situated in a barren void, lacking atmosphere and creating a haunting undertone. The empty space also represents humanity's new home following Earth's destruction and the loneliness that brings, underpinned by accompanying music from Voyager 1.