Proposals for a Prevailing World – Vol.I is an extensive design research that tries to express the magnitude of all animal species which became extinct due to human activity over the last 200 years as globalization intensified. By the hand of human scale and what is known and familiar to us human beings and our contemporary surroundings. The proposal creates a simultaneous ‘ode’ to humans prevailing on Earth and a memorial to the lost inhabitants.
Proposals for a Prevailing World – Vol.I is an extensive design research that tries to express the magnitude of all animal species which became extinct due to human activity over the last 200 years as globalization intensified. By the hand of human scale and what is known and familiar to us human beings and our contemporary surroundings. The proposal creates a simultaneous ‘ode’ to humans prevailing on Earth and a memorial to the lost inhabitants.
The first step to even be able to conduct this research is to provide a clearer understanding of the amount of animal species that became extinct over the last 200 years due to human activity. By the simple act of counting, one can process the quantity of all extinct species from the year 1800 till now. These species have been marked and listed in ascending order, from the year they became extinct or were last seen. In total, this makes up for Seven hundred and five species that went extinct by human interference over a period of 221 years.
Seven hundred and five is not more than a mark. It is easy to write down. Yet, one must not forget that it can be challenging to quantify what seven hundred and five species are, let alone to express or measure what seven hundred and five species were. One possibility could be to try and physically quantify or even to materialize what seven hundred and five species were, by the hand of human scale and what is known and familiar to us human beings and our contemporary surroundings
In order to get a better understanding of what seven hundred and five extinct species are on a physical scale, one begins by using the basic unit of measurement used for length in meters. What would the overall length be? And how would it look and manifest itself if one of each of those species were placed end-to-end on places familiar to us, like 5th Avenue?
Would it be possible to get a better grasp of our influence by doing so? As the image of the city is as important as the city itself in terms of its relationship with the world. It is easy to notice that the majority of this length is led by relatively small species, like insects. Therefore the quantification by length might not be the most sufficient guideline for the quantity of what once was. Although it perhaps does give a better understanding between the intercommunication of humans and their perspective toward small and large species on this planet.
The next step in physical quantifying seven hundred and five extinct species would be conducted by the unit of mass expressed in (kg). In total, this makes up for 12910 Kg. Knowing that these species aren’t alive anymore, one could instead use the remains from the moment they became extinct since that is what is ultimately left behind. What volume would seven hundred and five extinct species occupy if one of each were to be cremated and all ashes were combined?
Roughly 2m3 is what one eventually ends up with, being equivalent to two big bags. As a familiar object to most humans and a symbol of urban development. Filling up the big bags with animal ash does not only create a greater sense of scale but also enables one to materialize seven hundred and five extinct species. The names indicate the extinct species that were endemic to the continent displayed on the big bag. The four continents combined are equivalent to 1m3 of ash
Over time, like any other life form on this planet, ash will deteriorate and end up in the soil like minerals. The final part of the study aims to measure the intensity of extinction based on their geolocation and the ground found in this area. What would be the ratio of minerals in that soil that comes from species that are now extinct? The lines on each side of the Big Bag show the amount and intensity of lost species, in addition to the coordinates of their specific location.
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