Lichen is our friend – it’s not the common assumption, but a stance that designer Karolina Ferenc asks us to take through her speculative project Lichen in Love.
The project positions the world in a post-anthropocene age, where the affects of humankind are explored and re-examined in order that we might stop having a negative impact upon nature, which in this case is represented by lichen.
It’s not the first thing one thinks of when considering the botanical world – it’s doubtful anyone has ever sent a bunch of lichen to a loved one. In fact, it is generally removed and destroyed when humans do come into contact with it, seeing the plant as a sign of decay and unchecked ageing.
But Ferenc instead embraces it (both lichen and nature) and seeks to nurture a deeper bond than ever before. Lichen in Love pursues modern day reconciliation in a relationship that has perhaps been a one sided affair – and with damaging consequences, for far too long.
The project is split into two transitions, with three product outcomes, that are all subjunctive in nature and hope to help form an evolution from our current path and that of a less impactful future. The overall message resonates in our current social climes, as it encourages empathy as well as a sense of curiosity.
Much like humans, lichen (and other natural elements) is affected by harmful UV rays that enter through the hole in the ozone layer. The first of the three products, or in this case, Lichenized Machines, suggests a radical and outlandish step in assisting the longevity of lichen.
Lichenized Scientific Balloon would offer a vehicle to take lichen into outer space, an environment in which it can remain dormant and unharmed until the earth becomes a more habitable place for it to exist. As bizarre as this sounds, it’s actually informed by scientific enquiry, carried out by the European Space Agency back in 2008.
The second transition Vibrant Bodies is more directly about the development of the close relationship between humans and lichen, and offers two products with which people can consciously assist the living organism.
Breathing Tube invites an intimate moment in which the user shares the surplus carbon dioxide and nitrogen from their breath, in turn offering essential elements that the lichen needs to survive.
More playfully still, the Photosynthesis Mirror does exactly what you’d expect; increases photosynthesis in the lichen. However it does so only when the human user holds the special mirror in place, the concave surface being specially designed to focus only useful and non-harmful rays upon the plant.
