Systems Listening: Usnea/ Everna Prunastri/
‘the whole world – like a giant lichen’ thoreau zonca p189 – a world in a grain of sand – collaboiration is conducive to biological endurance – but not mutualist? p.191 – beyond co-operation and competition- not about mutualism but about changing the concept of the individual – as haskell puts “we need a new metaphor for the forest, one that helps us visualise plants both sharing and competing” and for that, we must no longer rely on the individual…
lichen adds physical intimacy that reveal the absurdity of separation…
P.191 ZONCA – “the lichen partners have ceased to be individuals, surrendering that possibility of drawing a line between oppressor and oppressed. Like a farmer tending her apple trees, and her field of corn, a lichen is a melding of lives. Once individuality dissolves, the score card of victors and victims makes little sense. Is corn oppressed? Does the farmer’s dependence on corn make her a victim? These questions are premised on a separation that does not exist. … Lichens add physical intimacy to this interdependence, fusing their bodies and intertwining the membranes of their cells… bound by evolution’s hand.
p.199 zonca – ‘a second individuality superimposed over the individuality of the associated beings, without destroying it.
concieving lichen on the level of this ‘second individuality’ – lichenic ensemble – lichen allows each of its constituents to develop new potential. – p200 ” the activity of each being is conveyed through the much greater capacity for activity of the partnershipm which leads to an increase of capacities for the whole ensemble.”
to notice…
lichenocene
a lichen perspective
we are all lichens
not using lichen as surrogate theory to prop up idealist notions of mutualism, there are too many other examples to draw from in the world – rather
second individuality – emergent properties
meta-organism
- p.202 – zonca – “Thus lichen eludes the boundary between ecosystem and organism; it constitutes a tension, between an ecosystem that is supposedly ‘crystalised,’ and an organism that is supposedly open. The most useful concept, it seems to me, for moving beyond this unitary vision of the living being (organism) and for taking into account the whole ensemble of these symbiotic relationships is the one that Marc-André Selosse more radically proposes: that of ‘interaction’.”
- this leads to relations/ intersubjectivity – relations that constitute this idea of individuality? …
- p.203 – “Modern science has transposed a Western philosophy based on the individual into a biology based on the organism. A true rupture would give interactions the central place. A spider web is not an ensemble of points, but above all the threads that hold them together.”
A circle with many centres = “p203 – “the rhizome is not made up of points, but only of lines… any individuation is not done by way of a subject or even a thing… the rhizome will not be reduced to the one or the multiple… rather of shfting directions… it has no beginnning or end, but always a middle… it constitutes multiplicities.
rhizomes continued – “living beings as configurations of intensities, as environments of interactions’
P.204 – A new biology of interactions… lichen as environment – ecology of living beings – rhizomic taxonomy
p.206 – Second Individuality to Third Place
p.208 -“the virtue of looking at lichen through a double focus, or rather by merging two focuses: the cellular, fragmentary perspective, and the global, macroscopic context” – both singular, and multiple at the same time… – microscopic to macroscopic and vice versa
p.210 – not projecting morality
towards a bioculture
lichen as a partner un our thinking
p.211 -‘an ecosystem of interactions’ – an invitation to consider the continuity between human and other living beings… – to become lichen – becoming attentive to its distinctinve charactersitics – not just making them speak – thats anthropormorphic – to be tuned into it – p.212 “to conceive, for example, its relationship to space (immobility) & (time) – what does it mean to listen to lichen? – “thinking like lichen allows us to know our ecosystem better” – lichen as a prerequisute to inform deeper listening…
lest become fungal! p.221 – “conservation is not about saving nature but about repairing our bond…
pauline oliveros wauntum listeninf- the listening efffect – as you lissten, the participles of sound decide to be heard – This poetic phrasing suggests that the act of listening calls sound into being — or at least into meaningful existence. If no one attends to a bird’s song, its expressive power is lost. But if someone is truly listening, that sound reverberates emotionally, socially, and perhaps even cosmically.
things to figure out
- symbiotic touch sensing philosophy – a world made of interactions – olafur eliasson – symbiotic vision – heartbeat sensor -polyphony
- spotlight philosophy
- listening to lichen soundscape philosophy
- cyanotype booklet
- title
- making it all coherent
Edith Stein suggests that “the species differences need not be miraculously collapsed and the human morphed into the non-human mind, for the latter remains her distinct, breathtakingly different and in many ways unknowable being” (Aaltola, 2013, p.81). Imagining the other then becomes a practice in extended empathy, one that is entrenched in our capacity to recognise how bodies, with little resemblance, are still composed of key points of affinity – a matter of differences, as opposed to similarities. We return to the very same auditory attunement that opened Haskell to the alien world of snapping shrimp. Empathetic listening here becomes a vehicle for another kind of emotional resonance, one that encourages mutual transformation through, not only embodied relations, but a care to understand the other deeply, in all their peculiarities.
In recognition of the perceived as embodied beings, subjective reality takes on a new life, one that transcends the individuality of its participants. As Stein puts it: “From the ‘I’ and ‘you’ arises the ‘we’ as a subject of a higher level”
In the eyes of Abram – by extension of Merleau-Ponty – both the sentient and the sensed are on equal footing in their constitution of the world (1996, p.66-67). Whether conscious or not, it can be assumed then that the ‘sensible’, or any tangible form, may also be sensitive to the beings around it
Through these interactions, the quiet of the mind, and resulting urgency of the present moment, challenges the notion of emotions as mere extension of the ego, but rather patterns of consciousness, perceptible as part of an intersubjective field. Nevertheless, it is not a case of suspending our human-centered emotional responses, remaining completely neutral in the face of other life-worlds. ‘Listening in spite of the body’ here is rather remaining emotionally aware of how things exist in their own phenomenological reality, as well as how we are coloured by these perceptions. Thus I posit an empathetic, or emotionally attuned listening, as a form of clairaudience’ that opens us to the world’s sounds as autonomous, allowing us to listen without imposition. Fragments of our personal histories, traumas, or desires will always remain as part of the human experience, but with awareness, we become attuned to the same presence within the animate and inanimate world around us. It is not a matter of projecting our emotions onto what we hear, but instead recognising that the world, both human and non-human, is imbued with its own emotive resonance. The listening body then becomes an instrument of awareness rather than a filter of judgment or desire.
3. Framing Perception as Co-Creation
You’ve suggested listening is intersubjective — so frame lichen’s emotive resonance not as provable in a positivist sense, but as emerging in the relational field between human and lichen, co-constituted through attentiveness.
Joanna Macey – world as self/ ecological self… 3. Emotional responses as connection, not weakness
When we feel grief, anger, or despair about ecological destruction, it is not a personal pathology — it’s a natural expression of our deep connection to the world. These emotions are signs that we are already experiencing the world as self.
4. Motivation for action
When we see the world as part of ourselves, caring for it becomes not altruism, but self-preservation in the deepest sense. Ecological activism becomes an expression of self-care.
Donna Haraway – A Companion Species Manifesto – Emergent Naturecultures – Symbiogenesis – Bio-power/ bio-sociality
Haraway dog writing as a branch of feminist theory, or the other way around
story of co-evolution… semiotic – lichen not just surrogates for theory – they are here to live with -… ?
process philosophy – Process philosophy is a philosophical approach that emphasizes becoming, change, and novelty in reality, rejecting static views of existence. It focuses on the dynamic nature of reality, where processes, relationships, and events are more fundamental than fixed entities.
Process philosophy highlights the importance of processes, becoming, and change over static being. It emphasizes that reality is constantly evolving and developing, rather than being a collection of fixed objects
bestiary
Lichen as guides
Together, the title “Systems Listening: Lichen Unsung” suggests a project focused on paying attention to the interconnectedness of nature (through a systemic lens) and giving voice to the unnoticed, like lichen, that is essential yet uncelebrated. It could be especially fitting for a sound art installation, field recording project, or ecological exploration that seeks to amplify these subtle, often overlooked elements.
starting at tolworth court farm fields – a listening that listens for relations, the sounds they make, or do not make, and the way we navigate the inaudible aspects of our environments, a listening that begs for empathy, extended listening, to imagine what lies beyond, in order to increase our intimacy with the unknowable things, those that help constitute the world we live in
Systems Listening // Lichen Unsung
lichen – the unsung pioneers – those that persist, even in the gaps of our cities, in the wastelands, the liminal crevices of human society
Lichen—a symbiotic combination of mycelium and algae—that excels in extreme conditions, outperforms forests in CO2 sequestration, capturing a quarter of the Earth’s CO2 turning it into oxygen.Through only growing on 8% of earth’s surface it produces 50% of the nitrogen for organic life. Through the integration of this resilient and important organism we can create a symbiotic coexisting envelope system on urban structures.
A porous structure would be conducive for lichen growth, thriving on various surfaces including metal, leather, and building exteriors. In polluted urban settings, an initial carbon aerated layer to protect lichen from direct pollution is recommended until they stabilize and positively affect air quality.
https://www.pratt.edu/work/lichenized-biosystems
“Lichen are fungi that have discovered agriculture” Trevor Goward a lichenologist. This is the best description for Lichen.
Lichen, existing in three types (Foliose, Crustose, Fruticose) and over 20,000 species, is among the planet’s oldest life forms, dating back over 440 million years. Found globally in diverse climates from cold to hot, lichen is easily accessible worldwide. Despite its ubiquity, lichen remains less understood and studied compared to moss, often appearing as a hybrid of tiny fungi due to its symbiotic nature, involving mycelium (fungi) and algae. It all just looks similar at first to the human eye until you look closer.
The symbiosis of this system stems from the lichen’s structure itself, as it is composed of mycelium that can “lichenize” through capturing algae or cyanobacteria. Mycelium, the fungal component, provides shelter for the algae, traps water, and protects it from harmful UV rays. In return, the algae supplies the mycelium with the sugars it needs to survive, enabling it to thrive in diverse environments. Lichen’s ability to live without soil, withstand minimal water (going dormant if not enough), and adapt to varying humidity levels showcases its versatility.
This symbiosis enables lichen to thrive in extreme environments, from Antarctica to deserts, even surviving in space, making it incredibly resilient especially with climate change. Remarkably, some Arctic lichen have been recorded as the world’s oldest living organisms at 8,600 years old, with the ability to photosynthesize in freezing conditions. It can even be used to date objects that have been around for a long time.
NASA’s experiment, exposing lichen to space radiation and observing its survival, highlights its potential significance in understanding resilience to climate extremes and space exploration. That’s when I first realized this is an organism to be aware of.
By embracing lichens, we foster symbiotic ecosystems that contribute to emission reduction and enhance urban structures with coexisting envelope systems.
ecological stewardship.