WorldChanging interview with Natalie Jeremijenko

Natalie is an artist-engineer, teacher and co-author of the Biotech Hobbyist Magazine. She recently deployed protest technology during the Republican National Convention in New York City:

NJ: The police threatened to deploy a sound weapon that concentrates sound energy on particular people and makes them tremendously nauseous.

Of course they say they’d use it to bring down ‘problem people’, i.e. direct action leaders. Also, to deliver messages, but what kind of messages? “Cease and desist”? “We’re going to kill you”?

So what we did was create these parabolic reflectors, to deflect sound energy and protect particular key people. I wanted to make a very visible thing…

I got to play Q to these various people, and they got to deploy the devices. Devices like these become a kind of accessory of non-violent defense.

WorldChanging: How do your technologies right the balance?

NJ: While obviously the scale of deployment is off, we can demonstrate, at least in the media, that we will answer any violent technologisation or militarization. That anything they come up with, the open community of people who believe in this political process will come up with responses.

We have the power of diversity on our side. They have organized, hierarchical systems. We have open source. We’re vaguely anarchist. It’s not about escalating.

Read the whole interview. It will make your mind fizz.