PAUL CHANEY

FieldMachine / Hypothetical Reterritorialisations

2011 - present

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FieldMachine is a bespoke computer software that allows the user to design autonomous systems for the self-provision of food and biofuel.

FieldMachine constructs a nutritionally balanced diet from a wide selection of geolocationally specific crops in its database according to user choice. FieldMachine then calculates the precise amount of land needed to maintain the chosen diet on an annual basis according to climate and latitude using data from WHO, FDA, and the UN.

FieldMachine then calculates how many other people could survive on the chosen diet in the political territory of the user.

Next, the user's design is printed, and the user is asked to add it to other designs collected at the exhibition location to create a collective Hypothetical Reterritorialisation of a chosen geographical area (usually close to the gallery or institution where the FieldMachine is located).

Hypothetical Reterritorialisations have taken place across the world including: Haifa Museum of Modern Art (IL), TATE St Ives (UK, IZOLYATSIA (UA), g39 (UK), Serpentine Gallery (UK), DIVUS (CZ), Muzeum Sztuki Lodz (PL).

The FieldMachine software and public participation methodology was researched and developed in collaboration with Kenna Hernly.