Ecological Calendars for Modern Society
When we detached ourselves from natural cycles, we traded connection for comfort. Disengaging from these cycles allowed us to grow and consume far beyond our planet's ecosystem's capacity. To restore our connection with biological cycles and ecosystems, exploring how to realign this connection in a postmodern world, I invite to join me on Pongso no Tao island, before embarking on a journey to the future of a floating city in the south of the Netherlands. This was the starting point of my lecture at the "Re-patterning our Seasonal Cultures" symposium in September ‘23 at the University of Bergen.
This symposium marked the conclusion of the CALENDARS research project at the University of Bergen, Norway, in which I had been involved. In tandem with this project, I initiated the research project "Re-syncing Humans to Habitat" within the Wondermash platform, exploring various ways people could reconnect with the nature of which they are an integral part.
As part of the CALENDARS project, I contributed to the popular science book 'Changing Seasonality,' featuring 35 chapters from authors worldwide. Additionally, I worked on a research article for Time and Society Journal and delivered the keynote presentation titled 'How Ecological Calendars could Guide our Modern World' at the "Re-patterning our Seasonal Cultures" symposium in September at the University of Bergen.
By delving into ecological calendars, particularly those of the Pamir mountain peoples and Pongo no Tao island, I envisioned how future modern societies could align themselves with cycles in their own habitat, ecological and geological rhythms, and timescales.
This exploration culminated in a brief speculative story about 'Maaskant,' a floating future society in the south of the Netherlands, submitted for publication in the Time & Society journal.
Read a preview of the article or watch a recording of Marjolein's lecture preparation on the project page "Syncing Humans to Habitats" at wondermash.eu.