The meaning of biotic artifacts: Studies on fruit and vegetables

Abstract

This paper presents the plan of a research project that started in April 2015. The topic of this study are agricultural crops and their property of being both natural and artificial at the same time. To describe such living organisms at the intersection between the natural and the artificial world, one can use the terms “biotic artifacts” or “Biofakte” in German (Karafyllis 2003). This paper defines the state of research that is the basis for my work. Additionally, I explain the research design, the questions, methods and goals of this study. In the end, I give an insight into the first results of a photo study. In the research project I want to explore the meaning and materiality of biotic artifacts from a designerly persprective. The divergent meanings of biotic artifacts, viewed from the perspectives of various stakeholders will be made visible in a model. Additionally, I want to develop scenarios for possible future ways of dealing with biotic artifacts.