{"title":"Plastic Grass, Suburban Dreams: AstroTurf and the Idea of Augmented Nature.","authors":"Jessica Van Horssen","doi":"10.1353/tech.2025.a956852","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article explores the development of AstroTurf in postwar North America as a case study in \"augmented nature,\" where technologies simulate and redefine elements of the natural world. The plastic substitute for natural grass embodied a broader cultural commitment to suburban lawn aesthetics and exemplified a \"break-it-and-fix-it\" approach to ecological challenges. By analyzing AstroTurf's marketing-particularly its showcase at Montreal's Expo '67-the article introduces the concept of augmented nature and examines its role in reshaping mid-century understandings of nature, technology, and environmental problem-solving. In so doing, it offers new insights into the cultural significance of domestic green spaces, aesthetic ideals, and the role of synthetic materials in manipulating perceptions of the natural world.</p>","PeriodicalId":49446,"journal":{"name":"Technology and Culture","volume":"66 2","pages":"481-507"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Technology and Culture","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2025.a956852","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This article explores the development of AstroTurf in postwar North America as a case study in "augmented nature," where technologies simulate and redefine elements of the natural world. The plastic substitute for natural grass embodied a broader cultural commitment to suburban lawn aesthetics and exemplified a "break-it-and-fix-it" approach to ecological challenges. By analyzing AstroTurf's marketing-particularly its showcase at Montreal's Expo '67-the article introduces the concept of augmented nature and examines its role in reshaping mid-century understandings of nature, technology, and environmental problem-solving. In so doing, it offers new insights into the cultural significance of domestic green spaces, aesthetic ideals, and the role of synthetic materials in manipulating perceptions of the natural world.
期刊介绍：
Technology and Culture, the preeminent journal of the history of technology, draws on scholarship in diverse disciplines to publish insightful pieces intended for general readers as well as specialists. Subscribers include scientists, engineers, anthropologists, sociologists, economists, museum curators, archivists, scholars, librarians, educators, historians, and many others. In addition to scholarly essays, each issue features 30-40 book reviews and reviews of new museum exhibitions. To illuminate important debates and draw attention to specific topics, the journal occasionally publishes thematic issues. Technology and Culture is the official journal of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT).
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
