Breathing Exchange Temporium (B.E.T)
a one-person prototype for survival at sea
Year: 2023
Materials: Fishing float Polyethylene tube. 1680 Denier Ballistic Nylon. Thermal gold blanket. Medical grade latex rubbing. Neodymium gold magnets. Hand-printed poly satin. Gold lycra. Security grade textile ribbon. Seatbelts. Medical grade respiratory tube
Dimensions: 80’ X 106’ X 12’
Location: Tiger Strikes Asteroids. Philadelphia, USA
Photos: Ana Mosquera
Show’s website: https://www.staphilly.com/
No one is their own star, and the soul that can
render a shared path finds a shared destiny
The culture of self-reliance, often celebrated as a virtue, has romanticized notions of solitary resilience and independence as pillars of freedom, personal responsibility, and success. Against this backdrop, the Breathing Exchange Temporium (B.E.T) emerges as a speculative prototype designed for individual survival at sea. Rooted in a sense of isolation that stems from my personal experience with displacement, the B.E.T. leverages ideas of self-reliance to to question the values associated with individualism and invite a shift towards a more interconnected understanding of identity and resilience.
The materials selected for the B.E.T.—a mix of safety equipment, camping gear, and household materials—mirror a complex drive for self-preservation and the ever-present risk of self-destruction. Robust and impermeable materials like ballistic nylon, latex tubing, and the U-shaped float tube were chosen for their durability outdoors. In contrast, materials such as poly-satin, lycra, and foam were picked for their flexibility, softness, and propensity to challenge buoyancy. Together, they converge to create a dissonant object that exists between floating and sinking.
The narrative of the B.E.T is further enhanced by the U-shaped float tube, wrapped in a hand-printed poly-satin textile that depicts an infinite currency exchange machine, displaying symbols of economic hypercapitalism. This layer is a commentary on the socio-economic forces that propel displacement and amplify the challenges of establishing stability in an ever-shifting landscape.
A few questions emerge as we navigate these currents: How do we come to interconnectedness in a world that champions the individual? Given the complexities of interconnected narratives and shared challenges within technological hypercapitalism, where social and ecological interactions are often commodified, How do we foster human and non-human connection? How do we then become porous?
Project Components
1
Hand-printed textile: Crafted with fluorescent ink on a gold base over gold poly-satin fabric at the Fabric Workshop Museum, the textile pattern forms an infinite pinball machine for currency exchanges. Symbols from online play, gambling, and central banks feature prominently in this intricate design, adding a storytelling element that delves into the interplay between traditional and digital economies and reflects on the evolving landscape of hypercapitalism.
Image references
Central Bank of Venezuela
Intricately woven into the textile pattern of the B.E.T., you'll find the emblematic logo and architectural motifs of the Central Bank of Venezuela. The logo and accompanying architectural details encapsulate the intricate role of financial institutions in shaping economic destinies.
Currency exchange data and symbols
The textile intertwines a decade of bolivar-to-dollar exchange rates with both crypto and non-crypto currency symbols. This fusion captures the interplay between digital and traditional economies.
Pinball machine elements
The textile incorporates pinball machine parts, evoking the essence of the game. These elements infuse playfulness and dynamism into the textile's design.
Drakon: Online Play to Earn Game Symbols
The textile integrates graphics from the "Drakon" play-to-earn online game, enhancing the narrative of the interplay between traditional and digital economies and reflecting the evolving financial landscape in the face of hypercapitalism.
2
The prototype: The design draws inspiration from inflatable structures, scuba gear, and utopian aesthetics. It combines a fishing float tube and a foam ring wrapped in golden lycra. A ballistic vest, safety seatbelts, and medical-grade latex tubing accent the design, touching on survival, protection, and instability themes.
