Products of a Counterfactual History of Science
< THOMAS THWAITES >
’Scientific knowledge has played a key role in shaping our material world, and especially with regard to genetics, our social, political and spiritual lives also.
But how dependant is scientific knowledge on historical accident and chance? Could we have a different, and not necessarily less valid, version of scientific truth if history had played out slightly differently – if certain observations had been made or missed, if individual scientists had been more or less successful, if different accidents had occurred? Or, does the scientific method act to eliminate the effects of historical chance, and our present state of knowledge is somehow necessarily true?
Unlikely Objects explores these questions through a ‘Choose Your Own’ history of genetics, and the presentation of some more, or less, likely objects from imagined alternative histories of genetics.'
MY SUMMARY: He thinks in a very particular way, questioning what has been taken as fact by default and trying to rethink some of the rules that have been set in stone.
A holiday from being human (GoatMan)
'I tried to become a goat to escape the angst inherent in being a human. The project became an exploration of how close modern technology can take us to fulfilling an ancient human dream: to take on characteristics from other animals. But instead of the ferocity of a bear, or the perspective of a bird, the characteristic most useful in modern life is something else; being present in the moment perhaps.‘
MY SUMMARY : He is trying to change his identity and become a goat to experience the life of a goat, which is a different perspective from the shepherd's perspective of watching a goat. Maybe I should shift my perspective a bit too, like experiencing life as a cupboard or a chair or a lamp.
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