BCI Session 2

Sat by a stream an contemplated the following functions:

How does nature:

Attach permanently?

Expel gases?

Protect from loss of gases?

Prevent buckling/deformation?

Once my ten minutes of “being” was complete, I began walking around, studying components of the stream environment. I saw stones and bugs and water plants and minnows and a snakeskin. Apparently there was a snake nearby. Best tread lightly.

Upon studying the rock, I saw a huge split all the way down the side. Rocks are so heavy and dense. Why is that? Everything must be packed so tightly and so densely that the structure remains unmoved by outside forces. But some forces are strong enough to break rocks. This split looked like the result of freezing water.

Water turning into ice. It’s strong enough to break rocks apart. Is there a way to harness this molecular force?

I sat on a wooden bench and considered how strong trees must be that we kill them and use them for structure.

Then I started thinking about how crazy trees are. They start out so tiny and thin, and they use sunlight, water, and CO2 (and I’m guessing some nutrients from the soil) to create more wood. As most people know, you can tell how old a tree is by counting its rings. Every year, a tree adds a new ring to the outside, meaning that the interior wood is the oldest wood in the tree.

What if there were a way to simulate the growth of a tree in our buildings? That is, the outside of the building is essentially dead cells that protect the active layer of the building which is constantly producing fresh material? The building wouldn’t have to get any bigger— it could push in towards the center of the building so that old material can be harvested and used for something else (paper? textiles?)

Also, on the note of attaching permanently, I started to study some moss which had attached itself to one of the rocks. Rocks are, on the whole, not terribly porous. How did the moss stick?

Upon closer inspection, it looked like the moss has these tiny hair-like filaments that grabbed onto the tiny imperfections in the rock.

Could we use this kind of dry adhesion in our construction processes? Could we do away with sticky, chemically-dependent adhesives if we could figure out a way to utilize this kind of adhesion? 

Regardless, I really started to enjoy myself in this BCI session. There was a young woman working a short distance away. I'm sure she questioned my sanity as I stooped down and started poking at moss.

BCI Session 1

For my first BCI session, I spent some time behind the building where I work. The ICC is set in a lovely little wooded area, just below an elevated pond. I considered walking up to the pond and sitting on the rickety bridge that overlooked the dam, but on my way there I encountered a chipmunk poking his head out from behind a rock. I determined that if I found a spot near him and sat long enough, I might perhaps gain its trust.

So I found a rock nearby. The rock was very uncomfortable to sit on, but I was already seated, and surrounded by what I believe was poison ivy, so I thought it best not to move around too much.

The first ten minutes I sat with my eyes closed. I could hear the chipmunk, since scurried under the rocks for protection, clicking every once in a while. I don’t know why it clicked. I think it is a way that it communicates with other chipmunks.

I sat and tried to focus on my other senses. Frequently I got distracted with what I was pondering, and opened my eyes to begin looking around as I pondered. This happened multiple times.

One thing I noticed was that the wind was always at my back. I assumed that it must have been cool air from above the pond rushing to replace the warm air that was rising from the parking lot not too far in front of me.

I wondered if there was a way that we could control airflow in or around a building through the strategic colorization of surfaces. I’m sure it’s been done before in some regard.

Once I opened my eyes, I began to notice all the little spider webs around me. While there were probably a half dozen webs I could spot, I only saw two spiders. One spider had built his web over the span of two rocks’ he sat on his web like it was a nearly invisible trampoline. I determined that I should try and bring him some lunch. So I grabbed a twig and tried to convince an ant to crawl on it so that I could flick it into the web.

Ants are very cautious of long, moving twigs. I tried for 10 minutes and no ants climbed on.

I finally got lucky as a particularly large ant began crawling on one of the rocks adjacent to the web. I used the twig to flick the ant into the web. Success! He landed on the web and immediately began to twitch and struggle, signaling to the spider that lunch had arrived.

Almost too fast to witness, the spider bolted over to the ant and made a split second decision to retreat and let this one go. Perhaps it was too big or too active? I don’t know. It was underwhelming.

Ungrateful little spider. See if I ever try to feed you again.

As I finished my time, I got up to leave. Around the same time, the chipmunk began to wander out. Apparently he had forgotten I was there. We stared each other down for a good five minutes. I grew bored/itchy and decided to leave. I wonder how long the chipmunk would have stayed there without moving? I’m afraid I lack the resolve to find out.