Dimensional Drift
Dimensional Drift
Instructions
Instructions
1. Encounter the ecological axes
Begin by introducing the concept: each axis represents a physio-ecological gradient — such as pressure, salinity, turbulence — that helps shape the perceptual world (Umwelt) of a non-human animal or ecological agent. These gradients are not abstract traits but real environmental forces that configure how different beings sense, move, and relate.
2. Spin the wheel + choose a species
Each group spins the PHYSIO ECOLOGICAL AXES wheel and selects a species linked to the resulting axis.
Use iNaturalist, Google, or collective knowledge — precision isn’t the goal, but ecological evocativeness is.
3. Sensory micro-research
Each participant gathers:
Three verifiable facts (range, properties, known traits) related to the species and its ecological gradient
One open question about the specific relation between environment and perception
Example:
Axis: pressure gradient · Species: hadal snailfish
This species holds the record for the deepest-living fish ever observed, found at depths exceeding 8,000 metres in the Mariana Trench. Adapted to the crushing pressure of the hadal zone (6,000–11,000 m), the hadal snailfish has a soft, gelatinous body, lacking a swim bladder, and relies heavily on its lateral line system to detect subtle water movements and vibrations. Despite extreme darkness and pressure (~800–1100 atm), it is an active predator, using mechanosensory perception to navigate and hunt in complete absence of light.
→ How does a crumbling rock at 1000 atm resonate through its lateral line?
4. Creative writing
Write a ~300-word speculative piece from within that axis and species.
Guidelines:
Avoid anthropocentric units (°C, m/s)
Replace with physical, sensory, or material transformations
Use nonlinear temporalities (cycles, thresholds, pulses)
Emphasise intensities, textures, dissolutions
If using first-person voice, let it belong to the dynamic itself (e.g. we dissolve, I contract)
5. Read and discuss
In small groups (2–3 people), share and discuss:
Which passage best conveys the agency of the organism?
Where does a truly non-human sensory experience emerge?
What elements invite imagining an alternative ecology?
1. Encounter the ecological axes
Begin by introducing the concept: each axis represents a physio-ecological gradient — such as pressure, salinity, turbulence — that helps shape the perceptual world (Umwelt) of a non-human animal or ecological agent. These gradients are not abstract traits but real environmental forces that configure how different beings sense, move, and relate.
2. Spin the wheel + choose a species
Each group spins the PHYSIO ECOLOGICAL AXES wheel and selects a species linked to the resulting axis.
Use iNaturalist, Google, or collective knowledge — precision isn’t the goal, but ecological evocativeness is.
3. Sensory micro-research
Each participant gathers:
Three verifiable facts (range, properties, known traits) related to the species and its ecological gradient
One open question about the specific relation between environment and perception
Example:
Axis: pressure gradient · Species: hadal snailfish
This species holds the record for the deepest-living fish ever observed, found at depths exceeding 8,000 metres in the Mariana Trench. Adapted to the crushing pressure of the hadal zone (6,000–11,000 m), the hadal snailfish has a soft, gelatinous body, lacking a swim bladder, and relies heavily on its lateral line system to detect subtle water movements and vibrations. Despite extreme darkness and pressure (~800–1100 atm), it is an active predator, using mechanosensory perception to navigate and hunt in complete absence of light.
→ How does a crumbling rock at 1000 atm resonate through its lateral line?
4. Creative writing
Write a ~300-word speculative piece from within that axis and species.
Guidelines:
Avoid anthropocentric units (°C, m/s)
Replace with physical, sensory, or material transformations
Use nonlinear temporalities (cycles, thresholds, pulses)
Emphasise intensities, textures, dissolutions
If using first-person voice, let it belong to the dynamic itself (e.g. we dissolve, I contract)
5. Read and discuss
In small groups (2–3 people), share and discuss:
Which passage best conveys the agency of the organism?
Where does a truly non-human sensory experience emerge?
What elements invite imagining an alternative ecology?