Post Carbon—Carbon as Energy, Life Substance and Currency

Pro Helvetia Shanghai, Arte+

Nota: Questo post non è disponibile in italiano.

‘Post Carbon’ Field Trip in QingHai, Concentrating Solar Power Tower. Photo by Yixuan Cai

As a long-term trans-disciplinary dialogue, expedition, and research project, ‘Post Carbon’ unveils the multifaceted nature of carbon through the collaborative exchanges among artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and scientists from both China and Switzerland.

‘Post-Carbon—Carbon as Energy, Life Substance, and Currency’

‘Post Carbon’ is an interdisciplinary dialogue, expedition, and research project rooted in art and design. By incorporating perspectives from ecology, material science, and product manufacturing, and by inviting the participation of social enterprises, non-profits, academic professionals, and sustainable brands, the project presents various pathways in the post-carbon process. The project integrates research with local issues through a series of thematic programs.

With the support of Pro Helvetia Shanghai, seven Swiss artists (groups) and cultural practitioners participated in this exchange online. Over 5000 audiences listened to the forums live or attended on-site.

Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Area, photo by Yixuan Cai

Overview

‘There is a strange sympathy between the atmospheric particles that float through the sky and the human beings who migrate across the ground and then across the sea. Each body sets the other into motion—a pattern of movement and counter-movement. (Adrian Lahoud)’ In the Northern Hemisphere, due to the relatively concentrated population and industrial activities, carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere and spreads with air currents; meanwhile, climate refugees are migrating from south to north under survival pressure. Individuals seen under a microscope and a satellite appear so similar, yet there are significant differences in models and scales. We use physical, chemical, and ecological models to understand natural cycles, while on the other hand, humanity needs to comprehend human activities through political economy and cultural anthropology.1

Carbon, as a cross-media substance, exists in various forms in nature, production, daily life, and even international disputes. We must understand it on different scales to recognize how this medium, traversing microscopic phenomena and grand astronomical seasons, incites turmoil, causes death, and brings vitality.

The carbon stored in plants is the result of photosynthesis over millennia. After being deposited as fossil fuels, it reenters the atmosphere through industrial production. The excess carbon in clouds and oceans not only leads to extreme climatic events but also sparks debates over carbon reduction obligations in the international political arena. Consequently, carbon gradually acquires the attributes of digital medium and currency. Carbon credits, as a market mechanism for regulating corporate environmental responsibility, also serve as a means for developed and developing countries to delineate responsibilities and rights concerning climate issues. The flow of carbon signifies the flow of energy, the process of life’s respiration and metabolism, and a means of adjusting power and obligations in times of crisis.

Curators (2)

‘Scale is the problem, and structure is the trap. Every time we discuss an issue, we frame its origins and solutions within the limits of specific disciplines and scales. The carbon issue, however, spans from the microscopic molecular scale to planetary-level climate, encompassing models from physics to human economics and politics. Art and curatorial work, with their rich imagination and creative space, can break these disciplinary boundaries, connecting small but crucial elements. Our “Post-Carbon” series of interdisciplinary dialogues and research visits aim to foster conversations within this cross-disciplinary context. Through this process, we’ve realized that different countries and regions envision different “post-carbon futures.” Each region has its own history of fossil energy, natural resources, and economic conditions, which shape the development of new energy and low-carbon technologies in unique ways. ’

— Yixuan Cai, Curator of Post Carbon (Founder for Artist Collective Black Void, Artist, Curator, Designer. Works at the intersection of ecological crisis and digital technology.)

‘If we view the exploration of various disciplines in human history as radiating lines driving civilization’s progress, the “post-carbon” topic acts as a transversal link, weaving macro and micro interdisciplinary issues into a symbiotic network. In analyzing the post-carbon era, focus extends beyond economic and social labor reconstruction to knowledge systems, evolving values, and human-nonhuman connections, requiring nonlinear thinking and ecological wisdom. As an incomplete Type I civilization, Earth must balance resource competition, power dynamics, and ideologies. This interdisciplinary path challenges traditional boundaries and is crucial for industries to explore growth, emerging as a key planetary concern.’

— Olivia (Xueqi) Wang, Associate Curator of Post Carbon (Content creator. Focusing on interdisciplinary ecological issues and social collaboration.)

Participants

Artist & Designer (12)

  • Anne-Laure Franchette, Switzerland, Artist
  • Black Void, China, Artist Collective
  • Danqing Shi, China, Associate Professor at Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts
  • Fragmentin, Switzerland, Artist Collective
  • Janis Polar, Switzerland, Artist
  • Knowbotiq, Switzerland, Artist Collective
  • Marie Griesmar, Switzerland, Co-founder of the rrreefs project
  • Maya Minder, Switzerland, Artist
  • Mia Yu, China, Art historian, Artist, Curator, and Educator
  • Ursula Biemann & Mo Diener, Switzerland, Video Artist
  • Shaomin Shen, China, Artist, Poet, Documentary Director
  • Shihua (Sarah) Mei, China, Co-founder of OneBite Design Studio

Curator & Cultural Producer (4)

  • Keshi (Karen) Lin, China, Curator, Writer, Member of Social Practice Lab
  • Martina Huber, Switzerland, Founder and Curator for Awareness in Art
  • Rongrong Zhou, China, Researcher at China Foreign Languages Publishing and Distribution Development Ministry Bureau
  • Wen Xie, China, Cultural Producer, Founder of Comple-X.NET

Scientist & Urban Planner (6)

  • Dabo Guan, Deputy Director of Tsinghua Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Professor at the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University
  • Haichao Zhou, Associate Professor at Shenzhen University College of Life and Marine Sciences
  • Mingyu Zhuang, Co-Founder of Plant South Salesroom
  • Wei Feng, Vice President at Shenzhen Institute of Marine Electronic Information Innovation
  • Xuewen Yin, Landscape Director at Shenzhen Urban Planning and Design Institute
  • Yigang Song, Associate Researcher at Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden

Entrepreneur & Enterprise Specialist (4)

  • Danni Yang, Founder of Narratus
  • Xinyao ZhuDi, Co-director of MyH2O
  • Xijie Rong, Fabric Planning Expert at JIANGNANBUYI
  • Yan Shen, Director of Ningbo Wliplant Intelligent Equipment Co.,Ltd.

Sessions in Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai

Visiting Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Area. Organised by Comple-X.NET. Photo by Xie Wen
Visiting Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Area. Organised by Comple-X.NET. Photo by Fen Lei

Blue Carbon and Coastal Ecosystem

‘Blue Carbon’ co-hosted by Design Society on 29 and 30 June 2024, invites artists, scientists, urban planners from China and Switzerland to explore blue carbon storage, mangroves, and coral ecosystems in coastal cities like Shenzhen through research visits, workshops, and forums.

The ocean is not only the story of the origin of life but also holds half of the world’s biomass, regulating PH balance and absorbing carbon dioxide. Phytoplankton uses photosynthesis to form organic matter, which is then transferred to the deep sea. As the largest carbon reservoir, the ocean’s carbon storage capacity surpasses that of terrestrial ecosystems. The secrets of marine and wetland/coastal life also involve processes of human occupation, extraction, cultivation, naturalisation, and denaturalisation.

Invited by Comple-X.NET, we visited the Shenzhen Mangrove Conservation Area, where Associate Professor Zhou Haichao explained the mangrove ecosystem. Dr. Feng introduced deep-sea oil extraction and oceanic low-carbon technologies. Marie Greismar shared insights on coral conservation and cross-disciplinary artistic practices, while Knowbotiq also presented their work on peat bogs in the Scottish Highlands. Spanning from coastal areas to shallow waters and then to the deep sea, the research visits, workshops, and forums gradually enter an otherworldly realm, exploring the reproduction and extinction of marine life, the accumulation and circulation of matter, as well as urban planning and ocean farm management.

‘In participating in this interdisciplinary discussion on “blue carbon and complex issues,” I’m sharing from my limited background in ecological research, focusing on the complexity of mangrove coastal wetland ecosystems in terms of their natural characteristics and adaptive management. I strongly agree with the idea that “ecology is a bridge between science and society.” This concept also aligns with how art provides an interdisciplinary understanding and representation of natural ecosystems. Both have a complexity and beauty that may be hard to quantify, but can certainly be felt.’

— Zhou Haichao, Shenzhen University College of Life and Marine Sciences

Event Scene. Image provided by 798CUBE and Martina Huber
Scent Design Workshop. Co-organized by narratus and Black Void. Image Provided by 798CUBE

The Resonance of Clouds and Earth: The Digitisation of Carbon

‘Carbon and Digitalisation’ co-hosted with Beijing 798CUBE on 17, 24, 29 August 2024, invites artists, social enterprises, professors, and pioneering brands from China and Switzerland to discuss the digitized form of carbon and its footprints from earth to sky, from carbon storage and capture, to weather modification technique.

Carbon is both the essence of life and energy, as well as a form of sediment; it embodies objective rationality while also entangling ambiguous power dynamics. It comprises concrete microstructures, yet it hides in abstract forms within the evolution of electricity-based computation. The digitisation of carbon allows this medium, which spans various systems, to become measurable, traceable, and tradable. Our current challenge is to ask how, after converting ecological footprints into data or currency, we can use this machine-rooted computational control to speculate about a different future than the one we are currently investing in.

The film ‘Twenty-One Percent’ by Ursula Biemann and Mo Diener, explores the relationship between human consciousness and the 21% oxygen in the air, emphasizing the close connection between chemical elements, the materiality of Earth, and human thought. Fragmentin’s research use artificial intelligence to predict the future expansion of the water grid while examining the relationship between digitisation and ecological protection. The social enterprise MyH2O emphasizes collaboration among villagers, youth, and government, stating that residents’ understanding and willingness to act on water are foundational for governance, with digital monitoring complementing local experience. Through these data, stories from distant ice layers and the dilemmas of rural wells can enter our awareness, awakening thoughts and actions regarding the environment.

Meanwhile, Professor Guan Dabo from Tsinghua Institute of Carbon Neutrality uses powerful data coupling to illustrate the impact of climate change on global value chains, integrating carbon loops into the concept of “value chain.” Janis Polar’s work explore the environmental impacts of oil shale and rare earth mining, as well as their relationship with historical media technologies, showcasing the material extraction processes behind a green future. The artist collective Black Void presents the digital climate identities of global cities through data-generated art and the application of negative carbon materials, while also contemplating alternative post-carbon futures through design fiction. While curator Martina Huber speaks about art’s role on shaping our environmental future, whose work creatively bridge the ongoing ecological crisis and public awareness.

Additionally, the workshop ‘Scents Extracted with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide—Climate Change and Scent Design’ uses chemical particles in the air to precisely and sensibly awaken the public’s olfactory memory of urban climate change.

‘When we talk about post-carbon futures, does each region have a homogeneous post-carbon future? What is the relationship between the past of fossil energy and the post-carbon future? How do we incorporate geopolitical factors and local histories (such as colonial history, socialist construction history, and the processes of fossil energy modernity) into this discussion?

In the context of the climate crisis, energy transition, and low-carbon development, can we adopt an ecological perspective to revisit the history and culture of fossil energy? I seek to find the energy within fossil fuel extraction sites, viewing energy as an ethical relationship of mutual care and resonance rather than merely as a resource to be exploited.’

— Mia Yu, Art Historian, Curator, Artist, Educator

‘As artist and curator, our daily lives revolve around connecting art with society, politics, and the environment. We aim to enable everyday people to physically experience the links between art and these topics. In doing so, we can understand the power of these issues from multiple perspectives, envision a better future, and reflect on the rapid changes occurring in our current society.’

— Martina Huber, Founder and Curator of Awareness in Art

Forum The Pulse of Plants. Image provided by BY ART MATTERS
Forum The Pulse of Plants. Image provided by Pro Helvetia Shanghai

The Pulse of Plants: Green Carbon and Urban Metabolism

‘Green Carbon’ co-hosted with BY ART MATTERS in Hangzhou on 21 and 22 September 2024, focuses on plants and microorganisms. It invites artists, designers, pioneering brands, and plant experts from China and Switzerland to explore the significant roles of plants and microorganisms in human social activities.

In participating in human social production and urban metabolism, plants subtly and secretly facilitate the energy exchange and migration of life between organic and inorganic materials through their unique mechanisms of self-organisation and self-regulation. They partially strip away and reorganise urban textures, transforming and regenerating. These plants may be found in city centers or thriving in hidden corners and backlands, serving as urban oases or as food on our plates. These green landscapes often serve as important subjects for exploring the tense relationships between ‘nature,’ ‘urban productivity,’ and ‘carbon cycles.’

JIANGNANBUYI Group Fabric Planning Expert Mr. Rong has introduced fashion fermentation technology, which includes extracting bio-based fibers from natural and animal fibers, using microbial pigments for dyeing, and innovatively converting carbon emissions into fiber raw materials through fermentation. Shen Yan from Ningbo Wliplant Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. introduced plant factory technology, redefining the boundaries and efficiency of agriculture. Maya Minder shared on the topic of ‘Green Open Food Revolution’, a dietary proposal to become Homo Photosyntheticus. Anne-Laure Franchette presented her artistic practice and doctoral research ‘Baustelle und Botanik’, which explores the connections between vagabond weeds that grow between the cracks of our urbanity, urban metabolism and a family history of migration and physical labor.

‘By attending the Post Carbon series organised by black void and Yixuan I felt this transdisciplinary exchange was truly meaningful. To tap into circles of artists, scientists and industrials that work on the edge of technology on the pressing issues of a near future. From here to there to foster terrestrial connectivity through art and science to increase empathy for the non-human and awareness in ecology.’

— Maya Minder, Swiss artist

‘I’m thrilled to be a guest in the “Pulse of Plants, Green Carbon, and Urban Metabolism” program. The theme evokes an image of a city breathing like a living organism, where greenery pulses like invisible veins, connecting its life force. Plants become an omnipresent “green internet,” silently regulating energy flow and the city’s rhythm.

In the future, cities may be “planted,” growing from roots and branches instead of concrete. Skyscrapers could be supported by vines, with humans evolving into Maya Minder’s “Photosynthetic Humans,” with our consciousness gradually connecting to the silent life of plants, forming a vast, green ecosystem.

This event blended botany, sustainable materials, and cyber agriculture, sparking new thoughts on urban development and ecological balance. The exchange of ideas has been incredibly inspiring, revealing countless potential possibilities and practical paths. I’m grateful to the organisers and look forward to more such dialogues!’

— Xijie Rong, JIANGNANBUYI Group Fabric Planning Expert

  1. Reference: Adrian Lahoud, ‘Climates: Architecture and the Planetary Imaginary’, Columbia Books on Architecture and the City, Lars Müller Publishers, 2016  ↩︎

About ‘Post Carbon’

Curator: Yixuan Cai

Associate Curator: Olivia (Xueqi) Wang

Co-host Institutions: Design Society, 798CUBE, BY ART MATTERS

Supported by Pro Helvetia Shanghai, the Swiss Arts Council; Design Trust

Initiating Organisation: Black Void

Media Collaboration: Wallpaper* China, Conversazione

Content Collaboration: Comple-X.NET

Session I, Blue Carbon and Coastal Ecosystem

Co-hosted by Design Society, Shenzhen

Expedition: Shenzhen Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve, invited by Comple-X.NET

Forum: In-Between Tides—The Flux of Matter and Energy

Forum: The Space Between Sea and Sky—Community Collaboration, Public Art, and Low-carbon Technology

Session II, The Resonance of Clouds and Earth: The Digitisation of Carbon

Co-hosted by 798CUBE, Beijing

Film Screening: Acoustic Ocean, by Ursula Biemann; Twenty-one Percent, by Ursula Biemann and Mo Diener

Workshop: Fragrance Extracted with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide—Climate Change and Scent Design, by narratus and Black Void

Forum: The Flowing Data of Cloud and Water—Climate Data and Public Action

Forum: Carbon Traversing Geological Layers and Clouds

Forum: Geological Time, Sunlight Fossils

Session III, The Pulse of Plants: Green Carbon and Urban Metabolism

Co-hosted by BY ART MATTERS, Hangzhou

Film Screening: Forest Mind, by Ursula Biemann; Water of Mouth—Green Elongation, by Maya Minder

Forum: Green Tides in the Concrete Jungle

Forum: Feeding and Weaving the Future—Photosynthetic Humans, Cyber-Gardens, and Sustainable Textiles