Episode 21 - Synthetic Nature (Looking Like the Real Thing)

Welcome back to a new episode of Becoming the product. Today, I'll share some of my thoughts on the use of fake plants within home and corporate settings. I'll then expand on the idea of synthetic nature and its effects on the world and our psyche. You can support my projects! By buying a digital version of my books: payhip.com/Becomingtheproduct Thanks for listening Instagram : @billuartmc @_thexry_ Substack for writing and news: becomingtheproduct.substack.com/ References Beukeboom, Camiel J., Dion Langeveld, and Karin Tanja-Dijkstra. “Stress-Reducing Effects of Real and Artificial Nature in a Hospital Waiting Room.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 18, no. 4 (April 2012): 329–33. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2011.0488. Berry, Freya. “Why Are Fake Plants Suddenly Everywhere?” Financial Times. Accessed 29 May 2024. https://www.ft.com/content/7a46d72f-49d8-48f9-8047-0a2bb51723dc. Bratcher, Emily Halonen. “The Best Fake Plants That Require Zero Upkeep.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-fake-plants/. Chen, Joanne. “Fake Plastic Trees and Artificial Houseplants We Don’t Hate.” The New York Times, 22 June 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-fake-plants/. How It’s Made. “How Artificial Plants Are Made in Factories | How It’s Made.” 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_QSC0vxlGQ. Kahn, P. H., Jr. The Human Relationship with Nature: Development and Culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999. Kahn, Peter H., Batya Friedman, Brian Gill, Jennifer Hagman, Rachel L. Severson, Nathan G. Freier, Erika N. Feldman, Sybil Carrère, and Anna Stolyar. “A Plasma Display Window?—The Shifting Baseline Problem in a Technologically Mediated Natural World.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 28, no. 2 (1 June 2008): 192–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.10.008. Kinver, Marc. “Green Spaces Worth £2.2bn to Public Health in England.” BBC News, 19 September 2016, sec. Science & Environment. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37403915. Kodé, Anna. “Go Ahead, Judge This Book by Its Cover. There’s Nothing Inside.” The New York Times, 28 April 2023, sec. Real Estate. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/realestate/fake-books-decor.html. Redford, Kent H., and William M. Adams. Strange Natures: Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, June 2021. Steinberg, Ted. “Why More and More Americans Are Painting Their Lawns.” The Conversation, 11 April 2023. http://theconversation.com/why-more-and-more-americans-are-painting-their-lawns-202586. Sturgis, John. “Tacky or Trendy? Fake Flowers Are ‘Blooming’ All over the Country.” The Observer, 24 October 2021, sec. Environment. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/24/tacky-or-trendy-fake-flowers-are-blooming-all-over-the-country. “The Evolution of Fake Plants: From Plastic to Realistic.” LaVida Trading New Zealand. https://www.lavida.net.nz/homewares/the-evolution-of-fake-plants-from-plastic-to-realistic/665/1. Wilson, E. O. The Future of Life. New York: Knopf, 2002.