February 11–14, 2024 | Fiona Bell, Joshua Coffie, Mirela Alistar
This paper explores how engaging with the temporalities of a nonhuman organism can lead to multispecies understanding. The authors design a bio-digital calendar to track and enhance the growth of kombucha SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. By observing and listening to the SCOBY on a daily basis, the researchers become attuned to its slow growth, which challenges human-centered timekeeping and fosters a more humble, decentered relationship with the organism. The bio-digital calendar uses sensors and sound to track the SCOBY's health and growth, promoting care-based interactions and enhancing multispecies understanding of temporalities. The researchers also highlight the importance of care in maintaining bio-digital artifacts and emphasize the need for ethical interactions with living organisms. The study concludes that by recognizing and reflecting on the temporalities of nonhuman organisms, humans can develop a more relational understanding of their own temporalities and those of other beings. The authors suggest that bio-digital artifacts can support multispecies understanding by enhancing nonhuman temporalities and encouraging care relations. The paper also discusses the broader implications of bio-digital design, including the need for organism-specific design, ethical interactions beyond care, and merging human and nonhuman temporalities. The study highlights the importance of slow, intentional design processes that prioritize the well-being of nonhuman organisms and foster sustainable, non-anthropocentric relationships.This paper explores how engaging with the temporalities of a nonhuman organism can lead to multispecies understanding. The authors design a bio-digital calendar to track and enhance the growth of kombucha SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. By observing and listening to the SCOBY on a daily basis, the researchers become attuned to its slow growth, which challenges human-centered timekeeping and fosters a more humble, decentered relationship with the organism. The bio-digital calendar uses sensors and sound to track the SCOBY's health and growth, promoting care-based interactions and enhancing multispecies understanding of temporalities. The researchers also highlight the importance of care in maintaining bio-digital artifacts and emphasize the need for ethical interactions with living organisms. The study concludes that by recognizing and reflecting on the temporalities of nonhuman organisms, humans can develop a more relational understanding of their own temporalities and those of other beings. The authors suggest that bio-digital artifacts can support multispecies understanding by enhancing nonhuman temporalities and encouraging care relations. The paper also discusses the broader implications of bio-digital design, including the need for organism-specific design, ethical interactions beyond care, and merging human and nonhuman temporalities. The study highlights the importance of slow, intentional design processes that prioritize the well-being of nonhuman organisms and foster sustainable, non-anthropocentric relationships.