Policies, regulations, standards, codes: they play a critical role in shaping our cities and the way we design them. The specific things we choose to regulate tell a story about what we collectively value.

So, what would happen if our regulations were written by poets, artists, and philosophers? Would we be better equipped to end landfill?

We present Regulatory Nonsense, a creative work by Loren Adams working in collaboration with DREAMER for MDW. In Regulatory Nonsense, we force an Artificial Intelligence ‘bot – trained on poetry, creative prose, and ecofiction – to rewrite Victorian waste policy, regulations, and city codes. We propose an alternative reality: one where regulation is poetic, atmospheric, beautiful, and funny. It highlights one of the critical bottlenecks that must be changed as we move towards ending landfill.

Regulatory Nonsense is a mini project as part of our larger project proposal for A New Normal called Replace Me Gallery. Replace Me Gallery is a retrospective art gallery making the invisible visible and celebrating the beauty and value of the discarded. Regulatory Nonsense, is the kind of artistic work we hope you will find at the Replace Me Gallery.