{ "meta": { "tool": "vis-network-mindmap", "version": 1 }, "categories": [ { "name": "Humans", "color": "#2563eb" }, { "name": "Nonhuman Animals", "color": "#10b981" }, { "name": "Other Living Beings", "color": "#f59e0b" }, { "name": "Objects, Technological or Otherwise", "color": "#ef4444" }, { "name": "Technologies", "color": "#8b5cf6" }, { "name": "Policies/Documents", "color": "#14b8a6" }, { "name": "Institutions/Organizations/Governments", "color": "#f97316" }, { "name": "Communities", "color": "#22c55e" }, { "name": "Non-physical Beings/Forces", "color": "#e11d48" }, { "name": "Environmental Elements", "color": "#0ea5e9" }, { "name": "Discourses/Values/Ideologies", "color": "#7e22ce" } ], "nodes": [ { "id": 2, "label": "Lily", "note": "Lily is in her third year, studying mathematics. She's a volunteer with the university's student-run community garden. She is my key interlocutor. In one of the interviews at the garden, she told me: \"I came here to de-stress from my stats midterms. But honestly? It’s stressful in a different way. I spent forty minutes today just untangling the hose because the previous group left it in a knot. I feel like I’m not 'gardening' as much as I am serving the equipment. If the pump is acting up, my whole 'relaxing' afternoon is ruined.\"", "category": "Humans", "x": -260, "y": -17 }, { "id": 3, "label": "The heirloom tomatoe", "note": "Different varieties of tomato are cultivated in the garden. One of my fieldnotes from mid-July reads: \"Observed the Solanum lycopersicum (Brandyrwine variety). The stems are drooping at a 45-degree angle, leaves curling inward—a physiological \"shout\" for water. When Lily sees the plant in its current state, the plant’s physical state immediately triggers an action; she stops talking to me, grabs a bucket, and moves toward the tap. The plant is effectively directing her movement through its biological distress.\"", "category": "Other Living Beings", "x": -40, "y": -81 }, { "id": 4, "label": "The spreadsheet", "note": "Attached to the garden gate is a laminated \"Watering Roster.\" It is covered in dirt and sun-bleached. I was hanging out and helping Lily that day at the garden. I noticed three students walk by, look at the sheet, and keep walking. Lily, however, saw a blank space for \"Thursday PM,\" sighed, and stayed to work. The spreadsheet acts as a \"remote commander,\" exerting pressure on Lily to stay even when no supervisor was present.", "category": "Policies/Documents", "x": -445, "y": -120 }, { "id": 5, "label": "Aphids", "note": "July 12th, 15:05: Underneath the leaf of Plot #4, a colony of aphids is \"working.\" They are not just bugs; they are de-constructors of the garden’s aesthetic network. They are currently \"translating\" the tomato’s nutrients into waste. This forces a new association: Lily must now use \"Neem Oil\" for pest control.", "category": "Other Living Beings", "x": 240, "y": -26 }, { "id": 6, "label": "The \"organic only\" values", "note": "In a conversation with Lily, she told me: \"Once, a volunteer said their parent had suggested Malathion for dealing with aphids in the garden—and the look of disbelief on everyone’s face was unforgettable. Or one guy brought a bottle of standard Miracle-Gro last week, and you would have thought he brought a bomb. There’s no rule stopping us from using chemicals, but the 'Organic Only' ideology is so strong it’s like an invisible wall keeping all chemicals outside. It changes what we are in-practice allowed to buy and bring in and how we treat the soil. It’s the boss of the garden.\"", "category": "Discourses/Values/Ideologies", "x": -257, "y": -236 }, { "id": 7, "label": "The rusted throwel", "note": "Lily attempts to dig a hole for new seedlings. The trowel is heavily oxidized (rust); the edge is blunt. Lily has to use much more physical force, grunting and sweating. The rust resists and Lily eventually gives up and uses her bare hands. The material failure of the tool has forced a direct skin-to-soil contact that wasn't planned.", "category": "Objects, Technological or Otherwise", "x": -214, "y": 118 }, { "id": 8, "label": "Neem oil spray", "note": "Discovering the aphids, Lily goes to grab the Neem oil spray from the storage.", "category": "Objects, Technological or Otherwise", "x": 93, "y": -199 }, { "id": 9, "label": "The \" no power tools\" policy", "note": "July 10th. 2:15 pm. Lily and I are attempting to break ground for the new cabbage patch. We are using the garden's rusted trowels, but the soil is baked hard by the sun. Lily stops, wipes sweat from her forehead. I tell her \"This is back-breaking work. I will bring a small electric tiller from home next time.\" She responds: \"Believe me, I thought about it. I even told folks that my dad has one in his garage that would finish this in five minutes. But I was reminded of the 'No Power Tool' policy.", "category": "Policies/Documents", "x": -35, "y": 171 }, { "id": 10, "label": "Extreme heat", "note": "For most of my field research, extreme heat prevailed, causing the plants to wilt much more quickly and making the activity far less relaxing during the hot afternoon hours.", "category": "Environmental Elements", "x": 145, "y": 153 }, { "id": 12, "label": "\"Our Roots\"", "note": "The student group \"Our Roots\" runs the community garden. Since students are typically involved for only a few years, the executive ensures continuity not only by meticulously documenting policies and decisions so they can be passed on to new cohorts of interested students, but also by actively training incoming executive members. As a student-researcher who has been part of several student groups, I find Our Roots’ commitment to continuity particularly impressive.", "category": "Institutions/Organizations/Governments", "x": -352, "y": 225 } ], "edges": [ { "id": 16, "from": 4, "to": 2, "label": "Enrolls/Disciplines", "note": "The sheet ensures that students show up and perform labor in accordance with the collective schedule, while unassigned time slots also subtly encourage volunteers to stay and work beyond their original commitments." }, { "id": 17, "from": 9, "to": 7, "label": "Mandates", "note": "The \"no power tools\" policy mandates manual labor." }, { "id": 18, "from": 12, "to": 9, "label": "Governs", "note": "Policies decided by the institution limit what volunteers are physically allowed to use or do." }, { "id": 19, "from": 3, "to": 5, "label": "Destabilizes/Consumes", "note": "The aphids are an \"antiprogram\" trying to dismantle the tomato’s biological network." }, { "id": 20, "from": 2, "to": 3, "label": "Mobilizes/Solicits Care", "note": "Through wilting, the plant \"calls\" Lily to fetch water or remove pests." }, { "id": 21, "from": 6, "to": 8, "label": "Permits/Blacklists", "note": "The value/ideology forbids strong chemicals like Malathion, and only permits organic/natural substances such as Neem oil" }, { "id": 22, "from": 7, "to": 2, "label": "Resists", "note": "The blunt, oxidized edge \"fights\" Lily’s muscles, requiring more force to work." }, { "id": 23, "from": 8, "to": 5, "label": "Deters", "note": "Neem oil spray is somewhat effective: it repels aphids, yet still allows some to persist." }, { "id": 24, "from": 10, "to": 2, "label": "Exhausts", "note": "The heat exhausts Lily, transforming an activity meant to be relaxing into something physically draining." }, { "id": 25, "from": 10, "to": 3, "label": "Stresses/Interrogates", "note": "The heat causes the plant to wilt and simultaneously \"asks\" the plant if its support is strong enough for it to survive." } ] }