The ‘unflattening’ folding paper game was created by Julia Velkova and myself as part of the Megabytes versus Megawatts project.* We performed it together at the CLAIMS Infrastructural Play workshop at University of Copenhagen in June 2024.
We have been researching how metrics and values are used to communicate important issues (such as environmental impacts) between the energy and data industries. When these issues are reduced to a number the ‘multidimensional’ complexities behind this metric are often ‘lost in translation’ between the energy and data industries–a process of ‘flattening’.
In response we have created this playful paper game. Through folded paper, it is the literal unflattening of metrics into a more complex and rich description.
*And, yes, we are inspired by the fantastic thesis-as-graphic-novel Unflattening by Nick Sousanis.
Download the game and instructions.