Fungal Tech: Software Development Practices for a More-than-human World is my masters thesis. It comprises much of the theoretical basis underpinning Decaying Data, a mud-powered installation for letting go of digital data.
Abstract
This thesis explores ecologically-centred practices of software development, using fungi as a metaphor for fostering ecological, collaborative and resilient approaches to technology while giving agency to more-than-human forms of intelligence.
In light of the ongoing environmentally disastrous and in many respects alienating
effects perpetuated by a technological industry that abstracts humanity from the living
world, it critiques anthropocentric practices in software and emphasises the need for
ecological criticality in digital tools.
Employing an embodied research process that integrates theoretical analysis, fieldwork
and practice, it seeks to reimagine software development as a collective and ecological
endeavour.
By bridging fungi-inspired ecological thought with ongoing efforts in academia and
digital activism, it aims to contribute frameworks for building technologies rooted in
interdependence, collective autonomy and systems thinking.