A Bestiary of the Anthropocene: Hybrid plants, animals, minerals, fungi, and other specimens

Synopsis

What happens when nature and technology become so intertwined that it is no longer possible to tell where one ends and the other begins? A Bestiary of the Anthropocene reimagines the medieval bestiary for the twenty-first century, cataloguing a strange and fascinating world of hybrid organisms, synthetic landscapes, and human-made phenomena that now shape life on Earth. From plastiglomerates and surveillance robot dogs to artificial grass, antenna trees, and drone-trained eagles, each entry explores a specimen born from the collision of the natural and the artificial.

Combining art, environmental studies, philosophy, and speculative inquiry, this beautifully designed volume invites readers to rethink the boundaries between the biosphere and the technosphere. Richly illustrated and filled with contributions from leading scholars, artists, and researchers, it is both an absorbing field guide and a provocative meditation on the rapidly changing world we inhabit. Printed in striking silver ink on black paper, this compact edition is as visually compelling as it is intellectually adventurous.

About the Author

Nicolas Nova was a Swiss-French researcher, writer, and co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory. His work explored the intersections of design, technology, environmental change, and everyday life. Created in collaboration with the art collective DISNOVATION.ORG and featuring illustrations by Maria Roszkowska, A Bestiary of the Anthropocene also includes contributions from leading thinkers including Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Benjamin Bratton, Geoffrey C. Bowker, and others.

Publisher

Set Margins' Publications

Publication Date

February 11, 2025

Format

Paperback

Pages

256

Subjects

Environmental Studies · Art & Design · Ecology · Climate Change · Science & Technology · Cultural Criticism

ISBN

9789083404189