[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.46,0:00:15.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if our plants
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.46,0:00:18.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could sense the toxicity\Nlevels in the soil
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.18,0:00:21.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and express that toxicity\Nthrough the color of its leaves?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.42,0:00:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if those plants could also\Nremove those toxins from the soil?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.26,0:00:29.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, what if those plants
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.38,0:00:31.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grew their own packaging,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.74,0:00:35.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or were designed to only be harvested
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.34,0:00:37.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by their owners' own patented machines?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.20,0:00:41.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What happens when biological design
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.12,0:00:44.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is driven by the motivations\Nof mass-produced commodities?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.68,0:00:46.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What kind of world would that be?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.40,0:00:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My name is Ani, and I'm a designer\Nand researcher at MIT Media Lab,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.44,0:00:56.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I'm part of a relatively new\Nand unique group called Design Fiction,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.60,0:01:00.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we're wedged somewhere\Nbetween science fiction and science fact.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.44,0:01:05.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at MIT, I am lucky enough\Nto rub shoulders with scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.22,0:01:07.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,studying all kinds of cutting edge fields
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.22,0:01:09.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like synthetic neurobiology,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.54,0:01:11.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,artificial intelligence, artificial life
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.58,0:01:13.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and everything in between.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.37,0:01:18.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And across campus,\Nthere's truly brilliant scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.21,0:01:21.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking questions like,\N"How can I make the world a better place?"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.73,0:01:24.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And part of what my group\Nlikes to ask is, "What is better?"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.55,0:01:27.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is better for you, for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.67,0:01:29.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a white woman, a gay man,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.83,0:01:32.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a veteran, a child with a prosthetic?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.70,0:01:35.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Technology is never neutral.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.78,0:01:37.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It frames a reality
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.46,0:01:39.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and reflects a context.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.26,0:01:42.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can you imagine what it would say\Nabout the work-life balance at your office
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.02,0:01:45.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if these were standard issue\Non the first day?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.22,0:01:46.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.46,0:01:49.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe it's the role\Nof artists and designers
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.74,0:01:51.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to raise critical questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.90,0:01:54.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Art is how you can see\Nand feel the future,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.08,0:01:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today is an exciting\Ntime to be a designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.56,0:02:00.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for all the new tools becoming accessible.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.92,0:02:02.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For instance, synthetic biology
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.52,0:02:05.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seeks to write biology\Nas a design problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.25,0:02:07.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And through these developments,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.81,0:02:10.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my lab asks, what are the roles\Nand responsibilities
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.77,0:02:15.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of an artist, designer,\Nscientist or businessman?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.13,0:02:16.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the implications
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.69,0:02:19.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of synthetic biology, genetic engineering,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.45,0:02:24.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how are they shaping our notions\Nof what it means to be a human?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.89,0:02:28.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the implications of this\Non society, on evolution
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.21,0:02:30.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what are the stakes in this game?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.05,0:02:35.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My own speculative design research\Nat the current moment
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.08,0:02:36.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plays with synthetic biology,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.61,0:02:38.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for more emotionally driven output.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.25,0:02:42.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm obsessed with olfaction\Nas a design space,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.05,0:02:45.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this project started with this idea
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.09,0:02:48.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of what if you could take\Na smell selfie, a smelfie?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.50,0:02:49.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.00,0:02:52.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if you could take\Nyour own natural body odor
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.68,0:02:54.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and send it to a lover?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.92,0:02:59.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Funny enough, I found that this\Nwas a 19th century Austrian tradition,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.21,0:03:01.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where couples in courtship\Nwould keep a slice of apple
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.85,0:03:04.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crammed under their armpit during dances,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.45,0:03:05.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at the end of the evening,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.01,0:03:09.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the girl would give the guy\Nshe most fancied her used fruit,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.41,0:03:11.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if the feeling was mutual,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.61,0:03:13.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he would wolf down that stinky apple.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.57,0:03:18.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.55,0:03:22.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Famously, Napoleon wrote\Nmany love letters to Josephine,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.97,0:03:27.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but perhaps amongst the most memorable\Nis this brief and urgent note:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.25,0:03:29.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Home in three days. Don't bathe."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.49,0:03:31.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.37,0:03:35.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both Napoleon and Josephine\Nadored violets.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.56,0:03:38.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Josephine wore violet-scented perfume,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.72,0:03:40.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,carried violets on their wedding day,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.56,0:03:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Napoleon sent her a bouquet of violets
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.60,0:03:44.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every year on their anniversary.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.89,0:03:46.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When Josephine passed away,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.79,0:03:48.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he planted violets at her grave,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.39,0:03:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just before his exile,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.23,0:03:52.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he went back to that tomb site,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.39,0:03:55.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,picked some of those flowers,\Nentombed them in a locket
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.07,0:03:56.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and wore them until the day he died.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.83,0:03:58.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I found this so moving,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.39,0:04:02.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought, could I engineer that violet\Nto smell just like Josephine?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.93,0:04:04.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if, for the rest of eternity,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.61,0:04:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you went to visit her site,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.21,0:04:09.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could smell Josephine\Njust as Napoleon loved her?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.49,0:04:11.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Could we engineer new ways of mourning,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.93,0:04:14.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,new rituals for remembering?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.50,0:04:17.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, we've engineered\Ntransgenic crops
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.22,0:04:19.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be maximized for profit,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.38,0:04:21.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that stand up to transport,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.54,0:04:23.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that have a long shelf life,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.50,0:04:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that taste sugary sweet\Nbut resist pests,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.98,0:04:29.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes at the expense\Nof nutritional value.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.42,0:04:33.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can we harness these same technologies\Nfor an emotionally sensitive output?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.87,0:04:36.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So currently in my lab,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.19,0:04:39.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm researching questions like,\Nwhat makes a human smell like a human?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.51,0:04:41.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it turns out it's fairly complicated.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.85,0:04:45.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Factors such as your diet,\Nyour medications, your lifestyle
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.09,0:04:47.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all factor into the way you smell.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.37,0:04:50.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I found that our sweat\Nis mostly odorless,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.93,0:04:53.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's our bacteria and microbiome
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.09,0:04:56.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's responsible for your smells,\Nyour mood, your identity
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.85,0:04:58.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so much beyond.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.49,0:05:00.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's all kinds\Nof molecules that you emit
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.81,0:05:03.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but which we only perceive subconsciously.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.25,0:05:06.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I've been cataloging and collecting
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.61,0:05:08.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bacteria from different sites of my body.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.81,0:05:10.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After talking to a scientist, we thought,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.81,0:05:12.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe the perfect concoction of Ani
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.53,0:05:16.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is like 10 percent collarbone,\N30 percent underarm,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.53,0:05:18.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,40 percent bikini line and so forth,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.65,0:05:21.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and occasionally\NI let researchers from other labs
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.73,0:05:23.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,take a sniff of my samples.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.41,0:05:26.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's been interesting to hear\Nhow smell of the body
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.61,0:05:29.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is perceived outside\Nof the context of the body.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.05,0:05:31.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've gotten feedback such as,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.65,0:05:34.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,smells like flowers, like chicken,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.13,0:05:35.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like cornflakes,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.37,0:05:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like beef carnitas.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.85,0:05:38.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.97,0:05:42.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the same time, I cultivate\Na set of carnivorous plants
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.61,0:05:46.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for their ability to emit\Nfleshlike odors to attract prey,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.29,0:05:49.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in an attempt to kind of create\Nthis symbiotic relationship
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.13,0:05:52.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between my bacteria and this organism.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.25,0:05:55.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as it so happens,\NI'm at MIT and I'm in a bar,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.93,0:05:58.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was talking to a scientist
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.25,0:06:00.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who happens to be a chemist\Nand a plant scientist,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.65,0:06:02.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was telling him about my project,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.57,0:06:05.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he was like, "Well, this sounds\Nlike botany for lonely women."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.73,0:06:08.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.77,0:06:11.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unperturbed, I said, "OK."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.46,0:06:12.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I challenged him.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.70,0:06:15.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Can we engineer a plant\Nthat can love me back?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.05,0:06:17.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for some reason,\Nhe was like, "Sure, why not?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.83,0:06:20.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we started with,\Ncan we get a plant to grow towards me
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.79,0:06:22.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like I was the sun?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.27,0:06:25.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we're looking at mechanisms\Nin plants such as phototropism,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.93,0:06:28.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which causes the plant\Nto grow towards the sun
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.13,0:06:29.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by producing hormones like auxin,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.93,0:06:32.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which causes cell elongation\Non the shady side.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.99,0:06:35.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And right now I'm creating\Na set of lipsticks
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.15,0:06:37.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are infused with these chemicals
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.39,0:06:41.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that allow me to interact with a plant\Non its own chemical signatures --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.07,0:06:44.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lipsticks that cause plants\Nto grow where I kiss it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.51,0:06:47.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plants that blossom\Nwhere I kiss the bloom.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.10,0:06:50.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And through these projects,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.90,0:06:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm asking questions like,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.44,0:06:54.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do we define nature?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.06,0:06:57.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How do we define nature\Nwhen we can reengineer its properties,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.62,0:06:59.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when should we do it?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.13,0:07:02.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Should we do it for profit, for utility?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.46,0:07:04.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can we do it for emotional ends?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.60,0:07:09.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can biotechnology be used\Nto create work as moving as music?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.80,0:07:11.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the thresholds between science
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.72,0:07:14.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and its ability to shape\Nour emotional landscape?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.38,0:07:19.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a famous design mantra\Nthat form follows function.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.18,0:07:23.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, now, wedged somewhere\Nbetween science, design and art
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.26,0:07:24.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I get to ask,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.50,0:07:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what if fiction informs fact?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.98,0:07:28.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What kind of R&D lab would that look like
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.06,0:07:30.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what kind of questions\Nwould we ask together?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.33,0:07:34.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We often look to technology as the answer,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.69,0:07:36.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but as an artist and designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.25,0:07:38.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I like to ask, but what is the question?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.77,0:07:39.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.01,0:07:47.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)