Sheep’s clothing is a project that explores how visual aesthetics inform agricultural practices by examining the determinate nature of designed objects. With the growth of alternative agricultures (especially those ascribing to methods of urban foraging, illicit farming, and public cultivation), growers require new objects that aid in food production. Although the current options suffice in a functional manner–i.e. they are able to accomplish a necessary task–they embed conservative notions of agriculture, therefore failing to encourage non-traditional and evolving practices. Sheep’s clothing locates the failure of current technologies in the failure of perceived use (affordances).

Specifically looking at sensor technologies, 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. Technology is therefore approached visually, and the project aims to invent new protocol of design. Just as sensors for backyard gardens are designed to blend in with personal space, new devices need to be designed to blend in with public and urban space. By employing modes of crypsis (a zoological term meaning an organisms ability to blend in with its environment), visual forms reify potential uses, and can change how and where agriculture takes place.

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 of the project will include three parts. First, a visual campaign explaining the hypothesis of the project. This will include a short video about growing mushrooms, posters and projected images, and a requirements document. Second, the raw designs and background research of the participants (as well as some those generated beforehand) will be displayed. Third, the designs will be rendered into use-case videos that explain how the designs may function.

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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.