mermaids



This project is a small roving island designed to colonize and remediate newly oceanic zones. It is intended to travel in a horde that captures waste, absorbs contaminants, produces energy, and establishes pollinator populations. Building networked movement and post-human performance into these islands is intended to foster new relationships between flora and fauna of both the land and sea: biotically complex castaways creating new ecosystems in a flooded future.

The upper third consists of a floating hydroponic island upon which milkweed (and other pollinator favorites) would be grown. Milkweed can both serve as butterfly habitat and be harvested and made into mats to be sewn into pockets for the absorption of contaminants like oil. These pockets are part of a mesh hood which, along with the form of the island piece, would aid in slowing water down and establishing aquatic habitat for fish and zooplankton. The central third is a desalinating microbial fuel cell intended to create freshwater resources to be pumped onto the island and generate power, which could be used for emergency propulsion, lights, GPS, etc. Ideally the fuel cell would have a slow but continuous intake. The lowest part of the island is modeled after the Wave Glider, which converts wave motion into forward propulsion. Linked islands would accumulate floating debris as they moved slowly through the ocean.