Synthium: Mushrooms to facilitate the transition to the Post-Anthropocene

Abstract

The United Nations has developed a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a call to action to promote prosperity while protecting the planet [16]. SDG 11 aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, but there is a challenge to encourage adoption of a post-anthropocentric mindset that considers all stakeholders equally. We present Synthium, an interactive, tangible installation design that allows users to interact with other living organisms in a ludic way. We used an iterative design process to develop a multisensory system utilizing mushroom frequencies to enhance communal green spaces (see Figure 1). This prototype encourages restoration of humans' relationship with nature within urban environments: the first step in achieving a post-anthropocentric mindset leading to sustainable city development.