Anthropogenic Dust

This project investigates dust as a material signature of the anthropocene, represented as a 3D printed mask and a moving image made in collaboration with Dr Asad Khan. Dust is a material entity, when emitted through anthropogenic acts, carries markers of the Earth's􏰪􏰏􏰌􏰀􏰁􏰈􏰄 exploitation in a heterogeneous texture. Anthropogenic dust lends itself to a unique process of formation, free from solidity, settlement, and stability. The project presents a speculative scenario of a dust-saturated Earth, by conceptualising the human body as a geological force par excellence.

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The project consists of two design components:

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• 3D mask: exploring dust in a series of computational design experiments, encompassing algorithmic  morphologies, diagrammatic explorations, generative animations and 3D printed material explorations culminating into a face mask, extrapolated from a point-cloud self-portrait scan.

• Dust Enforcer: presents a point-cloud moving image constructed through the choreographic capture of my body using a terrestrial scanner. The outcomes include point-cloud data visualisations, design diagrams and a video documentation of the choreographic process.

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This project was funded by the Devolved Researcher Funding Award (University of Edinburgh) and culminated in an array of public engagement activities such as exhibitions, public talks and workshops.