Lexicon

Abject
Accretion
Actant
Aeration
Aerobic
Algae-boosted
Animal
Anthropomorphism
Anti-Continuous Construction
Apocalypse
Aquaculture
Aquanaut
Ark
Artificial Intelligence
Autopoiesis
Assemblages
Asymmetry
Atrophy
Attraction
Autarchy
Automata
Automation
Autosymbiosis
Bambassador
Bathyscaphe
Bioconurbation
Biomedia
Bionics
Biosphere
Biotechnique
By-product
Capacity
Actant
Coisolation
Composting
Conservative Surgery
Consumer Envelope
Consumption
Continuous Construction
Conurbation
Correalism
Cultural_Memory
Cybernetics
Cybertecture
Cyborg
Dispositif
Diving Saucer
Dross
Earthship
Ecocatastrophe
Effluvium
Egosphere
End-use
Entanglement
Eutopia
Feedback
Foam
Folk
Gadget
Garbage House
Green Cyborg
Heuristic
Hoard
Holism
Homogenization of Desire
Hostile
Human Affect
Hybridized Folk
Hydroponic
Hyper-Materialism
Information Economy
Inner Space
Interama
Intra-Uterine
Maque
Megalopolis
Min-use
Mobility
Monorail
Multi-Hinge
Non-Design
Oceanaut
Oppositional Consciousness
Organic
Ouroboros
Panarchy
Parasite
Perceived Continuation
Permanence
Place
Prototype
Post-Animal
Reclamation
RI: Data Farms
RI: Garbage and Animals
RI:Shipbreaking
RI: Toxic Sublime
Sampling
Scale
Sensing Structure
Simulacrum
Simulation
Soft Energy
Spaceship Earth
Submersible
Superwindow
Symbiosis
Synthetic Environment
Technocratic
Technological Heredity
Technological Sublime
Telechirics
The Sublime
Thermal Panel
Actant
Thing-Power
Thinking Machines
Tool
Toxic Withdrawal
Turbulence
UV-Transparent Film
Vibrant Matter
Waste
Work

Abject

Latin: ab- away + jacere-to throw > abjicere- reject> abjectus> Middle English: abject The term abjection literally means "the state of being cast off". In usage it has connotations of degradation, baseness and meanness of spirit; but has been explored in post-structuralism as that which inherently disturbs conventional identity and cultural concepts. Objects are assigned subjective value until they lose relevance or are associated to detrimental qualities. Therefore, dissolving an object of its abjection through repurposing alone is not enough. Equally critical is to realize the limiting nature of subjective value assignments. The Clivus toilet1 is a case study that looks past the common perception of human waste and the systems that handle them. Unlike traditional systems, natural degradation process through compost pits are brought in direct contact to excremental activity saving the need for water flush systems. This “waste” is then compressed to produce natural gas and fertilizer, both of which are then fed back as a renewed resource for the domestic activities of the home. By repurposing the use of sewage black matter, Clivus toilets are also able to bring down the contamination of adjacent water bodies. Such a system does not limit itself at the scale of a single user but maps micro and macro level interactions with the surrounding environment.

1 Rikard Lindstrom, “Arrangement for the Aerobic Biological Transformation of Organic Waste Material.” US Patent #3136608 (Aug 20,1962), issued Jun 9, 1964.