It’s Brixton — W3
Designers | Alex Newson • David Han • Sue Heeyeon An • Tatiana Bohsali
External Partner | This Ain’t Rock’n’ Roll
Brief | Design a way to materialise blockchain
Research
In order to understand what it means by materialising the blockchain, we continued to explore more use cases of blockchain technology that does not focus on monetary aspects. Most of the examples I found only relied on using blockchain as a transparent ledger system and providing financial incentives for participation except a project called SCRAMBL by NASA. They considered satellites as different entities / nodes and enabled autonomous inter-communications between them to support spacecraft travel traffic. Through a synchronised network they would determine the most efficient method of communicating without requiring a database from the US Air Force. I found Alex’s example, the project terra0 most interesting as it intensified the idea of decentralisation through blockchain. In specific, a forest eventually owning itself from the process of selling and buying its own land back to sustain itself. However, this whole concept remained intangible in a digital territory opposed to Plantoid project. Plantoid materialised the input and output interactions through a physical life form, demonstrating each transactions.
Fig 1. Case study of Blockchain. Image by Alex and Sue
Complexities in a Bucket
Last week we were looking at a lot of different complex concepts of blockchain technology. To organise the different aspects of it, we put them into a bucket in different categories which we call a ‘complexity bucket’ and to pick and select one specific aspect between them. From this we discovered it is the strong community that sits at the center of both which holds the network together. Within blockchain technology, people work collaboratively to maintain the consensus mechanism and to build an authentic trustless network itself. And in Brixton groups of people with diverse cultures celebrate their own cultural / local pride which created its own personality of Brixton, a unique community.
Fig 2. Complexity Buckets. Image by Sue
Proof of Love
Then we started to ideate our concept around Proof of Love that is made in Brixton, to intensify the local pride and community, encouraging community actions through blockchain. Our aim of the blockchain became “creating an economy of the kind acts and the feedback for a positive community.” It reminded me of my apartment Facebook group page where residents ask any sorts of questions, help, borrow and lend equipment and give away unwanted items in the building. Yet, I started to question what sort of kind acts could support people in Brixton.
Fig 3. Defining the Aim. Image by group
It’s Brixton
To find out, we visited Brixton straight away. As soon as we entered the area, we felt an entirely different vibe. It had its own characteristics - the style of the places with graffitis, a lot of activism happening and very multicultural. From a conversation with the Pop Brixton Manager, we also noticed the merchants come together and share resources, doing a deal to support each other's products. The most interesting shared resource was a shared moving bookshelves with free reading materials provided by and to people which are being updated on a weekly basis.
Fig 4. Visit to Brixton. Image by David and Sue
Fig 5. Shared Resources in Brixton. Image by Group
Ideation
After settling down to a specific aim, to generate and externalise ideas quickly we decided to do a crazy 8 (fig 6). Somehow we had a similar concept between us - exchanging goods of any kind for mutual support in the community, using the blockchain to store and process the data. This means, people would be trading from tangible to intangible such as object and time. Furthermore, we implemented the concept of terra0, Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) which is based on smart contracts (replacing traditional state governments, transporting all conditions into self executing contracts automatically) to remove human power to run the store - the shop owning itself. However, the store not being just an exchange point but more as a peer to the people (fig 7).
““Creating an economy of kind acts and the feedback for a positive community.”
Fig 6. Crazy 8. Image by Group
Fig 7. Shop for Brixton. Illustration by Sue
Iteration
Pushing the concept of terra0 and Plantoid project further, I had an idea where stores can be separate entities that adapts into the surrounding environment and people in the area when replicated. I thought this will generate diverse opportunity, the store responding to what people want. Then we implemented the process of owning itself from terra0 into three different phases (fig 8).
Fig 8. Process of Store Owning Itself. Image(s) by Sue
Reflections
As our idea grew bigger there were more questions evolving that needs answers. The biggest question from the feedback session for me was “what is for sale in the shop exactly?” If people decides whats in the shop and it differs based on locations in Brixton, we needed to set a parameters for it. Also to be aware of how it can be weaponsied. Moreover, to deeply consider in what way would a shop that owns itself communicate that's different. Rigorous thinking needed!
Fig 9. Presentation. Image by Ines.
—————
Bibliography
Catlow, R, Garrett, M, Jones, N and Skinner, S. (2017) Artists Re: thinking the Blockchain, 1(3). Torque editions & Futherfield.
NASA (2019) BLOCKCHAIN AND EARTH OBSERVATION. Available at: https://eo4society.esa.int/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Blockchain-and-Earth-Observation_White-Paper-April-2019.pdf. (Accessed: 4 May 2021)
Jentzsch, C. (n.d) DECENTRALIZED AUTONOMOUS ORGANIZATION TO AUTOMATE GOVERNANCE. Available at:https://lawofthelevel.lexblogplatformthree.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/187/2017/07/WhitePaper-1.pdf. (Accessed: 4 May 2021)