In some countries, legislation to address climate is only politically viable under the auspices of infrastructure. But why is this? Infrastructure is commonly understood as the technical armature of industrial civilization, something that requires investment and maintenance.
However, climate change requires radically transforming this limited view of infrastructure. The scaffolding of human society is embedded within and dependent upon vast webs of relations permeating human and more-than-human worlds. Dawn Danby will explore how increasing familiarity with the nested scales of planetary infrastructures challenges overly-simplified narratives of climate solutions, requiring new ways of being in reciprocal relationship with the living Earth.
Dawn Danby is co-founder of Spherical, an integrative design, research, and technology studio offering cosmovision remediation and ontological repair services. She investigates the paradoxical roles of technology in supporting the integrity of Earth’s living systems. Over two decades, Dawn’s ecological design and strategy work has traversed scales and industries, from green chemistry to living infrastructure. She spent ten years leading Autodesk’s sustainable design initiatives, advancing software development for reducing the ecological impacts of design and engineering. Her studio is currently working on developing mapping, storytelling, and visualization tools to enhance the ability of communities to heal urban watersheds in California.