Sheep’s clothing examines the relationship amongst aesthetic practices, cultivation techniques, and interaction design. With the growth of alternative agricultures (especially those involving urban foraging and illicit farming), small-scale farmers require secure, distributed, and covert methods of monitoring of plots. The current options for such farmers embed antiquated notions of small-scale, and rely on visual forms more appropriate for backyard gardens than for urban space. Simply adapting these forms limits potential uses as the devices engender particular practices by virtue of their original form.

The difficulty becomes finding the proper palette for designs. By employing modes of crypsis (a zoological term meaning an organisms ability to blend in with its environment), visual forms can reify potential uses. The project answers the hypothesis that the aesthetics of ag-tech directly impacts cultivation by positioning designers to change techniques through adjusting aesthetics. Sheep’s clothing consists of twenty (20) camouflaged housings, each depicted within its ideal environment, as well as the designs and renderings completed in a workshop.

In the workshop, a group of industrial and interaction designers will view a short documentary outlining the process of mushroom growing (15-30 minutes). The video will show the resources, products, and processes that are needed to grow mushrooms successfully. The designers will then be presented with a requirement document and a presentation of potential uses for a product. In the second hour, the participants will be asked to venture out into the city to take pictures depicting uses of the fictional product. In the third hour, each designer will propose and diagram a series of three housings tackling the issues discussed and information procured about urban farming and mushroom growing.

The documentation will include the designs of the participants, as well as those generated beforehand, combining the native resources and concerns of the cities of San Jose and Atlanta.

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Sheep’s clothing examines the relationship amongst aesthetic practices, cultivation techniques, and interaction design. The project is founded on the hypothesis that the aesthetics of ag-tech directly impacts cultivation, and designers are positioned to change techniques by adjusting aesthetics.