PADLab:
Post Anthropocentric
Design Lab
The design laboratory for the post Anthropocene in Shenkar enables individuals and groups to internalize nature’s perspective, imagine new possibilities for nature during and after the climate crisis, decode the meanings of these possibilities and communicate them to the public, educators, experts, and decision-makers.
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Shenkar - Engineering. Design. Art.
Freshwater fish from the catfish series.
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To the African Sharptoothe Catfish from the Taninim Stream The African sharptooth catfish is endemic to parts of Africa and the Middle East. It lives in freshwater lakes, rivers, wastewater treatment basins and sewage systems. It can grow up to about 1.5 meters long. The catfish is named for its unique feature: the barbels, which resemble a cat’s whiskers. It has 8 barbels: 2 connected to its nostrils to detect smells, 2 connected to its mouth for tasting, and 4 connected to its chin, which it uses to sense its immediate surroundings. While its preferred habitat is the riverbed, its respiratory system enables it to survive for a few minutes on land. The frequent floods have changed the composition of the water, making it murky and disrupting the sensory systems of the catfish. Now, the catfish rapidly moves its entire body, including its tail, producing a steady stream of bubbles that push away waste and debris so it can better sense its environment. Its sensory system has evolved, and it can now integrate the signals from its barbels into a composite map of its surroundings. The bubbles it generates also benefit the Yarkon bream, which fearlessly trail behind the catfish, where the barbels cannot sense or reach it. This behavior is not without risk for the bream, however, as the catfish’s favorite prey is smaller fish. |
Clara Farah, Norhan Abed Elhak
With the support of Shenkar’s International School
