The Infumis: A Post-Apocalyptic Breakfast



Please request password to watch the film: nestor.pestana.studio@gmail.com


The Infumis are a fictional community that lives beneath large traffic intersections and have developed an alternative means of dealing with pollutants. The narrative is set on a post-apocalyptic future, when trafic intersections become farms, and air and water pollutants are harvested to nourish the community.
The film draws from horror genres to present a cautionary narrative, and a critique to our increasingly polluted environments. Please see three screenshots of the film below:









The Infumis manipulate their own microbiome to host Marinobacter Hydrocarbonoclasticus, a bacteria that is able to transform pollutants – i.e. Hydrocarbons (CH) – into nutrients. They bioengineer their own hairs to absorb these nutrients directly into their bloodstream, so their hairs effectively become digestive systems.

Please refer to the diagram below.

Main research guidance:
Dr. Ivo Lebrun, Butantan Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. São Paulo
Doctoral Researcher Arturo Casini, Imperial College, Department of Biotechnology. London
Doctoral Researcher Bora Ristic, Imperial College, Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment. London



Below is the absorption system of the Infumis
Project part of the Welcome Trust Images collection



Below: views of the installation produced for the graduation show at the Royal College of Art







The Infumis' micro fictions


Below: diagram and videos of a proposal for altered body hair that is able to transform pollutants into nutrients.


















Background


I.

In recent decades, several actions have been taken in order to raise awareness about the need to reduce harmful substances from the air. The United Nations has warned of the increasing dangers of climate change and has spoken of the urgent need to find solutions before it is too late.

Despite all these warnings, human activities are still the main source of almost all the harmful substances that are released into the atmosphere, with one of the most well-known examples being CO2.


Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa





But CO2 is not the only air contaminant. There are many others. Benzene, for example, is classed as a hydrocarbon, and it is an air pollutant emitted by vehicles and one of the largest sources of air pollution. According to the Vehicle Licensing Statistics released in 2014, the number of licensed vehicles in Great Britain has increased every year since the end of the Second World War, except 1991. The graph below shows the number of licensed vehicles in Great Britain between October and December 2014.


Licensed vehicles in GB: Q2 1994 - Q4 2014



Source: Vehicle Licensing Statistics: Quarter 4 (Oct - Dec) 2014



It is believed that vehicles are the reason why so many cities in the UK, such as Birmingham, have reached illegal levels of pollution. On the other hand, there are increasing numbers of proposals for sustainable vehicles. So why are vehicles still the leading source of air pollution?


Main UK areas with illegal air pollution levels - 2015



Source: itv News


According to Steven Ashley, internal-combustion engine vehicles are going to be among us for the foreseeable future. Green technologies are mainly implemented by governments, and for governments to transform basic technologies among large populations would require large amounts of capital and innovation investment, which are normally in limited supply. The author also points out that if we look at the relationship between performance and cost, oil-based engines are still preferable to alternative forms of transportation such as electric cars. How much electricity, for example, will be necessary to power a large vehicle? And how much will that cost?

Although there is much work to be done, things might change in the future, perhaps with developments on the lithium-air battery. But what if they do not?



II.

Major technological milestones are being reached nowadays, promising alternative ways of dealing with global issues, but also bringing challenges, new paradigms and different ways to look at the world and at ourselves.

Biotechnologies, for example, have allowed us to manipulate living organisms from all kingdoms of life. Designer, artist and writer Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg has even suggested the creation of a new kingdom of life: Synthetica, divided into different categories, from Hacked Organisms to Synthetic Multicellular Organisms. Can humans also be included in this kingdom?

It is part of our own nature to modify ourselves. We have done it for many years, from tattoos to the replacement of malfunctioning organs. At a more radical level, biohackers are nowadays exploring and modifying their own actual biological natures in DIY environments. Many of these experiments include the integration of electronics within the body, aiming at "augmenting humanity using safe, affordable, open source technology". But biotechnologies go beyond the use of electronics; they enable the design of systems using the same language as our own bodies: biological. This allows us to create and even bioprint complex living organisms. The Biohacker community is translating these scientific and technological developments into DIY environments, making a clear statement that the tools of scientific investigation should be available to anyone who wants them.




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Filed under BiotechnologiesBiohakersPollution
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