Descartes's misleading cogito, ergo sum has encouraged humans to become supremely arrogant beings, who ignore that non-human entities have their own knowledge of being. Though the anthropocentric tradition is still dominant today, interconnectedness and interdependence of species are undeniable. One’s wellbeing is dependent on the quality of the relationships we have with each other and with our surrounding environment. “This relational view of existence is central to the deep ecology developed by Arne Naess starting in the 1970s.” He sees the individual as inseparably embedded in a complex, intricate web of relationships”, in which “the parts of systems are understood as working together.” In other words, the human relationship with nature shouldn’t be parasitic, but symbiotic. Yet, “origins of the Anthropocene are in our anthropocentric mental models,” it's based on our “deepest set of beliefs about how the world works.” Therefore relational thinking is only possible if we see ourselves as equal with other living species and we cease to rule and dominate our natural environment. “When humans are one with all that exists, they are the ecosystems themselves. This being so, they are more likely to be non-violent and to protect the non-human ecosystems, as if they were protecting and caring for themselves. To describe this relationship, Naess has introduced the concept of the ‘ecological self’” – the interconnected self that is no longer confused with the narrow ego, a radical and necessary change in our self-conception.

In the context of resilience and sustainability, it is relevant to think about how different living organisms create and build. A bird builds a nest, an insect cuts a piece of leaf and twists it into a cocoon, or a spider builds a web, there is a lot of building going on. In each case, there are rationalities, but these rationalities are very different from ours. It is extremely complex for us to see behind the reasoning of other species, as it comes from another context, another world.

The project in Tallinn explores notions of co-design, collaboration, and community action from the perspective of deep ecology and ecosocial change. Learning from other species and non-human built environments, the project deals with creating a space for ambivalence and improvisation. Whether human-oriented, animal-oriented or plant-oriented, the project reflects upon how freedoms, restraints and change of direction can be practiced. In other words, how can we envisage a future where we do not put everything up for sale, pump everything out, mess everything up?

References

Hirvilammi, Tuuli, and Tuula Helne. 2014. "Changing Paradigms: A Sketch for Sustainable Wellbeing and Ecosocial Policy" Sustainability 6, no. 4: 2160-2175. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6042160