Future Crystals of the Anthropocene

Future Crystals of the Anthropocene is sparked by Trinitite– the radioactive glass residue of Trinity, the first nuclear test conducted by the US Army on July 16, 1945. Trinitite could be understood as a contemporary fossil, a geological trace left from the destruction created by nucleair technology. Just like Trinitite, there is Plastiglomerate, a name proposed in 2012 for rock formations integrated with human waste. Both Trinitite and Plastiglomerate show how human activity is already leaving a vast and durable imprint on the “natural” world. Future Crystals of the Anthropocene speculates on techno fossils by imagining scenarios that would lead to a multiplicity of crystal formations. The conditioning of these scenarios and its influence on the crystallisation process, (f.e. heat and density) become rules to its design process. What would techno fossils, or in this case crystals, of the future tell us about our current age and human imprint? What are the stories they hold encapsulated over time? Will this mostly show our exploitative character, driven by capital? And how could spirituality be tied back into this?