https://darkmatterlabs.org

Dark Matter LabsWe are building options for the next economiesDark Matter LabsFeedInitiativesTeamJobs1ContactProvocations↗Open main menuOpen main menuMatrixOur collaborative approach is firmly grounded in the complex, messy reality of our existing socio-economic systems. Step-by-step, with the support of a growing ecosystem, we aim to build tangible pathways towards the options that we would like to manifest in the world. We have visualised our organisation’s response strategy across a three-dimensional matrix. The Matrix represents the dynamic interplay of our systemic goals, collaborations and context specific initiatives.LabsEach of our Labs is focused on a specific area of the socio-economic system and the everyday codes (e.g. norms, behaviours and institutional logic) that form its structural backbone. The Labs are exploring what might be possible, both within and beyond the current structures, and working to develop technical expertise in those areas. For example, the Beyond The Rules Lab focuses on aspects such as demonstrating multi-actor governance structures whereas the Capital Systems Lab is working to enable strategic ecosystem investments.ArcsOur Arc workflows are designed with clear, directional goals that guide our efforts toward impactful outcomes. For instance, Net Zero Cities arc aims to enable climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, while Radicle Civics arc seeks to foster specific shifts in civic worldviews. These Arcs often involve collaboration with multiple Labs, integrating their technical expertise with tangible, real-world contexts.StudiosStudios are the connective tissue that support both the Labs and Missions. The studios explore themes that help our work to be implemented and more widely understood. For instance, the Civ Tech Studio develops the technological tools and knowledge for prototypes tested across the Dm ecosystem. Meanwhile, the Org Dev Studio, positioned at the base of the Matrix, provides critical infrastructure support for the entire Dm Ecosystem.IntersectionsEach project in our portfolio contributes to a number of systemic capabilities. In doing so they intersect with the Labs, Arcs and Studios in various configurations. This allows us to prioritise flexible, compound learning across our internal and external ecosystems. Some projects are not part of an Arc, but each is attached to a Lab (or multiple Labs) where they contribute to building systemic capabilities.CapabilitiesThe capabilities form the core of Dm’s Mission and sit at the centre of the Matrix. These are the systemic goals that we have set for ourselves as we strive to build pathways towards Life-Ennobling Economies. Some examples include decolonising currency stewardship, embedding data-augmented decision making and building the foundations for planetary stewardship institutions.We are building options for the next economiesAt Dark Matter Labs, we view the interconnected crises of our time as symptoms of a deeper, structural miscoding of our economic systems. We understand these codes to be physical (e.g. biodiversity, energy, labour and materials), structural (e.g. money creation, embedded inequality and private property rights) and psychological (e.g. failure of the imagination). Recognising the complex, entangled reality of living systems, we are exploring alternative pathways for organising society and stewarding the shared planetary commons. Our working hypothesis is that these pathways must be rooted in a radical reframing of our relationship to everything; from technology and money to land and the other-than-human world. We are framing this transformation as a shift towards Life-Ennobling Economies.Economic options are bold directional aspirationsWhat would it mean to align societal ambition to the magnitude of the transformation that is required? We cannot be sure how the future will play out or the specific infrastructures that will be required. However, we can build towards a range of economic options that are likely to be needed. We are imaging new investment opportunities for city-scale tree canopies, community endowments and resilient bioregional food systems. We envisage that the electrification of transport networks, the mental health of communities and the collective intelligence of cities will become recognisable assets, understood as commitments to a regenerative future. We are also considering what might be unleashed if houses were self-owning and affordable in perpetuity. Or if rivers could express their need for care. We believe all these things are both possible and necessary. These are bold aspirations and will only be achieved by a collective movement of diverse communities and unusual allies. This is a story of practical reimagining that we are excited to put our energy behind.How do we structure our response? ↓MatrixOur collaborative approach is firmly grounded in the complex, messy reality of our existing socio-economic systems. Step-by-step, with the support of a growing ecosystem, we aim to build tangible pathways towards the options that we would like to manifest in the world. We have visualised our organisation’s response strategy across a three-dimensional matrix. The Matrix represents the dynamic interplay of our systemic goals, collaborations and context specific initiatives.IntersectionsEach project in our portfolio contributes to a number of systemic capabilities. In doing so they intersect with the Labs, Arcs and Studios in various configurations. This allows us to prioritise flexible, compound learning across our internal and external ecosystems. Some projects are not part of an Arc, but each is attached to a Lab (or multiple Labs) where they contribute to building systemic capabilities.CapabilitiesThe capabilities form the core of Dm’s Mission and sit at the centre of the Matrix. These are the systemic goals that we have set for ourselves as we strive to build pathways towards Life-Ennobling Economies. Some examples include decolonising currency stewardship, embedding data-augmented decision making and building the foundations for planetary stewardship institutions.LabsArcsRCRadicle CivicsLCLocal CivicsNZCNet Zero Cities7G7Gen CitiesM0Material 0 CitiesRNRegen NutritionNINature as Infrastruct.BEBioregional EconomicsPCPlanetary CivicsNENext Economics RCA + NEL NEA + CDS M0A + NEL NEA + CDS BLBeyond Labour CSCapital Systems LCA + CSL NIA + CSL PFPhilanthr. Futures PBProperty & Beyond 7GA + PBL SDSocietal Decisions RCA + SDL BRBeyond the Rules SMSensing & Modeling NZA + CTS M0A + SML StudiosCTCivic TechCDConversational DesignFFForesight & FuturingOrg DevLabs StudiosCTCivic TechCDConversat. DesignFFForesight & FuturingOrg DevDomains AOntology & EpistemologyA-1Fostering a relational worldviewA-2Replacing profit as the collective goalA-3Building political willA-4Phenomenological measures of success (lived experience)BMoney & valuation logicB-1Demonstrating entangled and long-term valueB-2Decolonised, bioregional currency stewardshipB-3Alternative non-fungible currency systemsB-4Visualising finite and infinite economiesCFinancial processes & investmentC-1Making the investment case for entangled valueC-2 Bridging demand & supplyC-3Structuring capital & investmentsC-4Enabling strategic ecosystem investmentsC-5Socialising the supportive narratives for alternative financing pathwaysC-6Socialising transformational narratives for a regenerative financial systemDOwnership, law & governanceD-1Using instruments to demonstrate alternative theories of ownershipD-2Elevating alternative models that recouple surplus with stewardshipD-3Demonstrating multi-actor governance structuresD-4Embedding data-augmented decision makingD-5Building deep respect for the other-than-human world, ancestors and future generations EInstitutional logic & policyE-1Enabling public-civic efficacy to transform placeE-2Building the foundations for planetary stewardship institutionsE-3Designing reflective, data-driven policy instrumentsE-4Place-based, policy process designFMaterial, energy & land useF-1Developing collaborative, non-extractive interfaces with the physical environmentF-2Visualising material and energy flowsF-3Developing a stewardship data infrastructure for the built environmentF-4Designing and demonstrating autonomous, regenerative and affordable multi-purpose developments.ContextsThe overarching LEE Mission allows us to contextually adjust the horizons of our interactions and interventions, whilst building towards a coherent field of influence and change. A single theory of change feels wildly inadequate; instead we are holding open questions in a continuous process of landscape scanning and action:Political landscapesHow can we work intelligently with the constraints and opportunities of political ideologies?A right wing context may provide more fertile ground for rapidly mobilising complex technologies than a liberal context. Or perhaps in a context like Ukraine where crisis and instability has become an everyday reality, the motivation for citizens to drive alternative governance models is heightened. This could start from a desire to support the military via voluntary crowdfunding and extend to new sectors and patterns of behaviour.Geographical landscapesWhat can we leverage by deliberating targeting lead or established markets to test a tool or concept?In some cases we may need to look to edge communities for an idea to gain traction (e.g. a distributed currency), whereas in others a supportive social infrastructure is needed to establish agency (e.g. a material registry). Each country has something to teach us; from land laws in Scotland to open data systems in Taiwan, we are open to how our work can weave and adapt to local contexts.Time horizonsHow can we leverage the broad spectrum of realities represented across the global context?Recognising that a speculative policy in one context might already be triage response in another can increase our collective learning and ability to test edge ideas. This could mean working with Indigenous communities on Turtle Island (North America) to urgently finance the regeneration of indigenous lands. It could also entail supporting marginalised communities in England to seed alternative housing models in response to the systemic crisis crisis.AlliancesWhat could be unleashed if we can identify and engage unusual (and often powerful actors) with converging aspirations?On the surface a central bank and an ecological activist may have little in common. Yet, central banks have a mandate to preserve stability, which in the future could involve recoupling money issuance to ecological rights. This logic might also extend to cultural intersectional points, such as indigenous perspectives and state mandates in locations such as Australia and India.ContextsThe overarching LEE Mission allows us to contextually adjust the horizons of our interactions and interventions, whilst building towards a coherent field of influence and change. A single theory of change feels wildly inadequate; instead we are holding open questions in a continuous process of landscape scanning and action:Political landscapesHow can we work intelligently with the constraints and opportunities of political ideologies?A right wing context may provide more fertile ground for rapidly mobilising complex technologies than a liberal context. Or perhaps in a context like Ukraine where crisis and instability has become an everyday reality, the motivation for citizens to drive alternative governance models is heightened. This could start from a desire to support the military via voluntary crowdfunding and extend to new sectors and patterns of behaviour.Geographical landscapesWhat can we leverage by deliberating targeting lead or established markets to test a tool or concept?In some cases we may need to look to edge communities for an idea to gain traction (e.g. a distributed currency), whereas in others a supportive social infrastructure is needed to establish agency (e.g. a material registry). Each country has something to teach us; from land laws in Scotland to open data systems in Taiwan, we are open to how our work can weave and adapt to local contexts.Time horizonsHow can we leverage the broad spectrum of realities represented across the global context?Recognising that a speculative policy in one context might already be triage response in another can increase our collective learning and ability to test edge ideas. This could mean working with Indigenous communities on Turtle Island (North America) to urgently finance the regeneration of indigenous lands. It could also entail supporting marginalised communities in England to seed alternative housing models in response to the systemic crisis crisis.AlliancesWhat could be unleashed if we can identify and engage unusual (and often powerful actors) with converging aspirations?On the surface a central bank and an ecological activist may have little in common. Yet, central banks have a mandate to preserve stability, which in the future could involve recoupling money issuance to ecological rights. This logic might also extend to cultural intersectional points, such as indigenous perspectives and state mandates in locations such as Australia and India.ParadigmsThe Enlightenment, Industrial and Scientific revolutions created many advances for society. But what about their impact on deep ways of being and knowing? From the concept of thingification to the devaluation of mother earth, the psychological baseline of many societies was fundamentally altered. From our perspective, the worldview that condoned the treatment of land and living beings as disposable, exploitable resources, was also at play in the coding of our dominant socioeconomic systems. Dark Matter Labs sets out to reject the concept of separation and to reimagine our foundational economic relationships. For example:PropertyWords like property and ownership are often associated with ideas of dominion and control, allowing us to treat elements of the living world (such as land and rare earth minerals) as objects. Deep down though, do we really believe that timber holds more value than a forest? Or that a whale’s life is interchangeable with a barrel of oil? What would it mean to explore systems of organising that move beyond the paradigm of control?TechnologyEmergent technologies can be framed as a threat, but they could also facilitate a new freedom to care. The field of quantum physics has enabled a granular visualisation of the shapeshifting and relational nature of living systems. Perhaps what we have previously framed as a boring revolution is also an invitation to sense and see the world through a quantum lens. Perhaps in the future our governing institutions will exist to advance and scaffold the continuous learning of a self-aware system.MoneyRecognising that financial capital is intertwined and enabled by living and social systems is foundational to our work. Imagine how our relationship to finance might change if we understood the act of investing to be a commitment to our collective futures? What would a system look like where the ways of creating and stewarding money are decentralised and respectful of non-comparable value flows?Based on this new paradigm we are proposing three worldview philosophies that we think could underpin a desirable future economy. From there, we have identified six structural shifts that we are hypothesising would need to occur for that to become a reality. The philosophies and shifts are not fixed, instead they are narratives that thread through the different dimensions of our Ecosystem Matrix, as we seek to test them in different contexts.Worldview philosophiesRooted in the recognition of the full web of lifeFrom violence, scarcity and separation to a thriving planetary community of interbecoming. NEL RCA PCA CDSGrounded in a non-bounded understanding of valueFrom extractive profit-driven goals to entangled, intergenerational and distributed value systems. NEL CSL BEA M0A CDSEnabled by technological ecosystems of careFrom the utilitarian ‘othering’ of technology to animistic interfaces of wisdom and care. NEL NZA CTSProposed structural shiftsBeyond PropertyFrom exerting control over ‘objects’ to seeking reciprocal relationships with the full web of life. PBL RCABeyond LabourFrom humans employed as resources to vocations of creativity, purpose and care. NEL 7GA LCA ODSBeyond ExtractionFrom extractive resource claims to the infinite guardianship of the global commons. SML M0A PCA RNABeyond Private ContractsFrom linear agreements that optimise for the few to multi-party, dynamic, digital treaties of respect. BTRL RCA LCABeyond GovernanceFrom centralised enforcement to nurturing institutions of stewardship. SDL BTRL NZABeyond Monetary CapitalFrom the accumulation of financial wealth to a social contract that regeneratively stewards the diverse capitals of life. CSL NEL 7GAHelp us build a better future↗ContactParadigmsThe Enlightenment, Industrial and Scientific revolutions created many advances for society. But what about their impact on deep ways of being and knowing? From the concept of thingification to the devaluation of mother earth, the psychological baseline of many societies was fundamentally altered. From our perspective, the worldview that condoned the treatment of land and living beings as disposable, exploitable resources, was also at play in the coding of our dominant socioeconomic systems. Dark Matter Labs sets out to reject the concept of separation and to reimagine our foundational economic relationships. For example:PropertyWords like property and ownership are often associated with ideas of dominion and control, allowing us to treat elements of the living world (such as land and rare earth minerals) as objects. Deep down though, do we really believe that timber holds more value than a forest? Or that a whale’s life is interchangeable with a barrel of oil? What would it mean to explore systems of organising that move beyond the paradigm of control?TechnologyEmergent technologies can be framed as a threat, but they could also facilitate a new freedom to care. The field of quantum physics has enabled a granular visualisation of the shapeshifting and relational nature of living systems. Perhaps what we have previously framed as a boring revolution is also an invitation to sense and see the world through a quantum lens. Perhaps in the future our governing institutions will exist to advance and scaffold the continuous learning of a self-aware system.MoneyRecognising that financial capital is intertwined and enabled by living and social systems is foundational to our work. Imagine how our relationship to finance might change if we understood the act of investing to be a commitment to our collective futures? What would a system look like where the ways of creating and stewarding money are decentralised and respectful of non-comparable value flows?Based on this new paradigm we are proposing three worldview philosophies that we think could underpin a desirable future economy. From there, we have identified six structural shifts that we are hypothesising would need to occur for that to become a reality. The philosophies and shifts are not fixed, instead they are narratives that thread through the different dimensions of our Ecosystem Matrix, as we seek to test them in different contexts.Worldview philosophiesRooted in the recognition of the full web of lifeFrom violence, scarcity and separation to a thriving planetary community of interbecoming. NEL RCA PCA CDSGrounded in a non-bounded understanding of valueFrom extractive profit-driven goals to entangled, intergenerational and distributed value systems. NEL CSL BEA M0A CDSEnabled by technological ecosystems of careFrom the utilitarian ‘othering’ of technology to animistic interfaces of wisdom and care. NEL NZA CTSProposed structural shiftsBeyond PropertyFrom exerting control over ‘objects’ to seeking reciprocal relationships with the full web of life. PBL RCABeyond LabourFrom humans employed as resources to vocations of creativity, purpose and care. NEL 7GA LCA ODSBeyond ExtractionFrom extractive resource claims to the infinite guardianship of the global commons. SML M0A PCA RNABeyond Private ContractsFrom linear agreements that optimise for the few to multi-party, dynamic, digital treaties of respect. BTRL RCA LCABeyond GovernanceFrom centralised enforcement to nurturing institutions of stewardship. SDL BTRL NZABeyond Monetary CapitalFrom the accumulation of financial wealth to a social contract that regeneratively stewards the diverse capitals of life. CSL NEL 7GAHelp us build a better future↗ContactFooterLinkedInMediumXInstagramFeedInitiativesTeamJobsContactProvocationsPrivacy PolicyNetherlandsDark Matter Laboratories B.V.United KingdomDark Matter Laboratories LimitedCanadaLaboratoires de Matière sombre / Dark Matter LabsSouth Korea주식회사 다크매터랩스코리아 / Dark Matter Labs Korea Co., LtdSwedenMörk Materia Laboratoriet AB / Dark Matter Labs SwedenLinkedInMediumXInstagramenen1729681861https://darkmatterlabs.org

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