In imagining new, non-extractive futures, an important question is how to include the more-than-human in our ways of being. How do reckon with the invisible labour done by every species, everyday, that uphold the ecosystems we depend on. In this Open Gathering we discussed these intangible commons; the relationships of care, reproductive labour and ecosystem metabolism that supports us but does not exist solely for that purpose.
“As much as Marx understood the fleshy vitality of laboring man, he and his disciples have often failed to account for the nonhuman lives and inhuman forces that articulate capitalist relations.”– Will McKeithen & SKye Neslund
What we did
We discussed four provocations brought in by the audience at the launch of our first publication.
- Whose work goes unseen? Caregiving, emotional support, and imaginative work keep our communities alive, but these efforts are often ignored or undervalued. We asked why, and what changes when we put them at the center.
- Who else is doing this work? It’s not just humans. Forests, soils, rivers, and animals also do the quiet work of keeping life going. How do we include them in how we plan and build?
- When “green” isn’t really green. A lot of so-called eco-friendly development still wipes out the ecosystems already doing the work of sustaining life. We talked about what real care for a place could be like.
- Who belongs to a place? We thought about what it means to be “from” somewhere and how plants, animals, and land are part of that belonging too.
As always, the discussion could have lasted hours. We then moved on to the central theme: ‘The Crisis of Imagination’ with an exercise outside.
Building on last month’s exercise we went out into the street again, looking for everyday images that shape what we believe is “normal” or possible. These images fed into a rich discussion on public space and how this space is under constant pressures of individualization and commodification.
Want to stay updated about next sessions? Sent a little mail to das@fossilfreeculture.nl