ABOUT
What are lithium worlds?
We know lithium as the lightest metal, and the third element on the periodic table. Lately, we hear about lithium more and more because it is a crucial ingredient for rechargeable batteries, which power anything from mobile phones to electric bikes, cars and buses.
We all rely on these technologies, and we will do so even more in a future beyond fossil fuels. The climate crisis urges us to shift quickly to renewable forms of energy to preserve our planet. Doing so will require vast amounts of metals such as lithium.
This is why lithium is often dubbed as a metal of the future. It matters for liveable futures, globally. But it does so unequally. In places where lithium is extracted, it is a source of deep ambivalence, evoking both dreams of better futures and fears of renewed exploitation.
Dwelling on this ambivalence this project wants to explore diverse lithium worlds: worlds between and beyond extraction and consumption, global south and north, technology and ecology. It embraces lithium’s capacity to travel between different yet related worlds, forging unexpected connections along the way.
What is Lithium Worlds?
Indeterminate exploration
An invitation towards thinking lithium otherwise, communicating about it by exploring its connections in a constantly evolving, collective process.
Open publishing
An open platform for publishing diverse explorations of lithium worlds, using images, sounds, and text.
Slow thinking
An attempt to foster slow thinking and careful noticing in times of rapid change, offering space for content beyond the rush of daily news and quickly punched out tweets.
Translation
An effort to involve diverse publics, who cultivate different forms of knowledge and speak different languages. In particular we seek multilingual publication to enable discussion across language barriers.
How to contribute to Lithium Worlds?
If you would like to contribute to the evolving conversation around lithium worlds, welcome!
We publish both small collections around particular issues and single contributions to an evolving set of themes. We are open to contributions of diverse form and content, as long as they are crafted carefully. Don’t worry if you need help with translation, we are happy to help out.