Monstrous algae meets gentrification: a Tale of Invasion
More than ever today, nature has become inseparable from culture; and if we are to understand the interactions between ecosystems, the mechanosphere, and the social and individual universes of reference, we have to learn to think ‘transversaly’. As the waters of Venice are invaded by monstrous, mutant algae, so our television screens are peopled and saturated by ‘degenerate’ images and utterances. In the realm of social ecology.
Donald Trump and his ilk -another form of algae - are permitted to proliferate unchecked. In the name of renovation, Trump takes over whole districts of New York or Atlantic City, raises rents, and squeezes out tens of thousands of poor families. Those who Trump condemns to homelessness are the social equivalent of the dead fish of environmental ecology.
Felix Guattari, Three Ecologies, 1989
Invitations to contemplate these words and play with your thoughts
What captured our attention
What if we tell a different history
What if “Nature” does not exist
What if we invent an ecosystemic economy
What do you think?
Where does Europe begin and Where does Europe end
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Imagine an Ecosystemic Europe
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Cross Idea
We would ask to transform and reform the modalities of membership by which the city (cité) belongs to the state, as in a developing Europe or in international juridical structures still dominated by the inviolable rule of state sovereignty […] This should no longer be the ultimate horizon for citie …
What if we tell a different history
It may seem absurd to align algae, distorted TV images, and gentrification practices within a single analysis. How can we possibly compare displaced families to 'dead fish of environmental ecology'? Such a rhetorical leap could be seen as scandalous, stretching traditional figures of speech, like metaphor, to form connections that may feel exaggerated. Yet, it is precisely this kind of innovative, poetically charged narrative that is essential for understanding the interconnected world we inhabit, along with its underlying dynamics. This seemingly wild comparison is, in fact, revolutionary—it adopts a holistic perspective on the impact of human actions, encompassing both people and the environment. Telling a different story demands the courage to see links between bacteria and news stories, vegetation and social issues—all consequences of profit-driven practices lacking empathy and foresight. This is a pervasive infestation, infiltrating everything from television images to algae.
