SERVER SEASONS

The "Garden of Ether" transforms a cryptocurrency mining facility into a self-sustaining, inhabited ecosystem. The core idea is to use the heat generated from mining cryptocurrency to warm a botanical garden housed within a massive geodesic dome. This dome features a virtual sky that shifts in response to the computational activity of the servers, creating an artificial environment where the servers dictate the seasons, reintroducing a sense of seasonality that has been largely lost in modern life.

Throughout history, human societies have used seasonal rituals not only to mark the passage of time but also to shape political and social structures. The project draws inspiration from ancient practices, such as the communal support systems during winter in traditional societies, and contrasts them with modern consumerism, which has stripped such rituals of their deeper significance. The project also examines historical examples of centralized power, like the grain storage in Ancient Egypt, where mythology and art served as tools of propaganda to maintain the Pharaoh's control, and contrasts this with the more egalitarian, decentralized societies like the ancient settlement of Neblivka.

The "Garden of Ether" is set in Boden, Sweden, home to the world's largest Ethereum mine. The facility, once a timber structure, is replaced by the dome, which is used to explore the intersection of technology, governance, and community life. Over three "Ether-years," the project envisions a cycle where the installation, use, and obsolescence of servers drive the seasonal changes within the dome. Each year brings different environmental conditions—ranging from arid to tropical to near-freezing—as the technology evolves from basic server racks to speculative quantum computers.

As the community adapts to these changing conditions, their social and political structures also evolve. The project critiques the lack of seasonality in modern political systems, which it argues leads to stagnation and a loss of agency. By alternating between periods of centralized governance (symbolized by the monarch) and decentralized, anarchic markets, "Garden of Ether" seeks to highlight the importance of maintaining distinct political systems that can check each other and provide citizens with visible alternatives, ultimately fostering greater political engagement and innovation.