01 What is it…
It is the shared ancestral intelligence we all have access to, our shared experience. a collective knowledge and set of planetary principles, written into our genes, shared generationally, that brings us in touch with our ancestors nature-based traditions, skills, rituals and embodied knowledge.
These immersive activations help to visualise and embody ways in which to bring holistic relational thinking into a linear world. Creating a third space of kinship, transcendence and a portal to a future vision based on reciprocal systems and stewardship.
02 How does it help…
ANCESTRAL CODE is the second activation in the series from the ‘Ear to the Earth Sessions’ by ATERRE.
It is an introductory set of relational tools for those without existing place based or indigenous connection to land, skills, rituals and customs. A pathway back to our shared Ancestral Codes based upon stewardship that prioritises kinship, reciprocity and mutuality, codes that are more ancient, ethical and wiser than any modern governance, culture or mindset.
The Ancestral Code provides a vehicle to tap into these principles of kinship, mutuality and ancestrality, thus giving us more agency over our life choices and a direct connection to elements of our shared ancestral intelligence and values. It is a transformational initiation designed specifically for westernised individuals. Raising a legion of ethical stewards from the ground up.
03 Call to Action
The Ancestral Compass asks us to Wake Up from our Cultural Coma. To galvanise a legion of ethical stewards and make the change needed to work with our Kin and our planet as a truly beneficial Keystone Species. To remember that WE ARE KIN.
The Ancestral Code provides a routemap to envision that new future by allowing us to ask
What values do I want to embody in this situation?
How does this serve my Kin and my planetary home?
How do I enter into relational dynamics?
How does this create a 3rd space of Kinship?
What is ‘my’ Ancestral Code?
COME DOWN to Central St.Martins between 18-21st June 2026 to experience a session with the Runes.
Or contact us at ATERRE to discuss how the ANCESTRAL CODE and ANCESTRAL RUNES might help your organisation or team start its ANCESTRAL STEWARDSHIP journey…
ANCESTRAL COMPASS
‘ALL MY RELATIONS’
All My Relations film is a compelling, portentous, dystopian meditation on kinship and how we relate to the living world, revealing our impact upon it as humans. It asks us to face our human-centred cognitive dissonance that allows us to disconnect from the reality of the world we live in and perpetuate, in search of a life of personal comfort and satisfaction. But at WHAT COST.
Whilst the film is confronting and mesmerising in equal measure, layered with symbolism, holistic science from the macro to the micro, and ancestral codes - it intends to wake us visually and viscerally. Journeying through the monochrome bleakness back through the portal, to the white energetic field of transcendence - a space of transformation, portentous beyond human messengers and collective wisdom. Acting as a CALL TO ACTION, a MORAL COMPASS for our urgent return to our ANCESTRAL INTELLIGENCE and codes of stewardship, to reshape our future.
Watch it now and decide if you are ready to JOIN THE MOVEMENT!
Open your eyes.
Wake from your CULTURAL COMA
And witness the post-imperial apocalypse
Climate change is just the final chapter
We started the book LONG ago
A capitalist horror story
It is already HERE
Hide as we might
We can’t escape our annihilation
You may ignore it
You may want your life to be instafamous
Manifest a life that’s upgraded
But it’s a delusion
A constructed ILLUSION
The world WE have created
Is rotting at its core.
And we are numb, immune to the horror.
Open your eyes.
If you look. It’s there.
Right in front of you.
Our humanity
Our contribution to our planet
Every inch of our Kin, our shared home
Abused, Exploited, Extracted, a RESOURCE
Nothing left untouched
A self-consuming system, as we self-destruct
Every object made from the living world
Embodies its experience
And imparts that energy into US
And so we reap what we SOW
Open your eyes
In order to change the system
To make choices that count
You first have to see it as it IS
BE prepared to see the construct
This is what we came fromAnd where we will return
To the majestic living WEB
A beating heart of life and beauty
Interconnected, interwoven, in balance
Patterns repeating across time and scale
Natures architecture
Cosmic infinite intelligence
ALL MY RELATIONS
Open your eyes.
You can’t hide from what our species has DONE
A seeping soul sickness
We weaken the planet
Because WE have been made weak
We have set in motion our karmic destiny
We come from the earth, and return
An endless reincarnation for an eternity
Back to this, our HELL on earth
And who knows next time
What species we return as
And again, we reap what we sow
Because, we forgot that we ARE our Kin
So. Open your eyes.
We have forsaken our Ancestral Intelligence
Our Ancestral Code
We have forgotten who we could BE.
Our codes of mutuality and reciprocity
Our birthright, our legacy
STOLEN
By colonial supremacy
It is TIME to find our way back.
WAKE UP!
Reclaim our land, our stewardship, our ethics.
Break free from the societal stupor
Rid ourselves of the negative karma.
Their stain on our conscience and hearts
Let the old be consumed by its GREED
For the NEW to emerge from its ashes.
We ARE the 7th GENERATION.
The future is yours.
So CHANGE it.
ANCESTRAL MAP
Developing our own Ancestral Map empowers us with integrity and respect for our own place-based customs, traditions and skills, giving us the vital agency to rebuild our connection to our own ecosystem as a keystone species and ethical steward. It also equips us with vital skills, knowledge and tools, so that we can share back in a more reciprocal manner with those who have continuous or more evident indigenous knowldege systems and lineages. It diffuses the need to approach existing indigenous knowledge systems with a potentially extractivist mindset, it reminds us to be resourceful and dig deep into our own archives of ancestral intelligence. It fortifies us as humans, it awakens our sense of place, of purpose, of self, rebuilds our multi-species alliances (animals, plants, environments) and starts to map out our role as keystone species. In this way we start to unravel the damage of imperialism and colonialism, by returning to a more congruent and authentic connection to our place as humans within a reciprocal interconnected living web; in balance, right sized, in sympoesis with our local ecosystem and beyond.
Here are some suggested steps on how to map your individual indigeneity.
ANCESTRAL RUNES
01 FUTURE ANCIENTS
Runes are an ancient tool used for centuries as a way to connect to a collective inner wisdom, a secret counsel from the cosmos and a way to tap into our collective ancestral code. The original future forecasting and ethics tool.
The Ancestral Runes draw upon ethical stewardship, regenerative practice and principles rooted in whole system reciprocity. This first iteration of the Runes and Ritual are a prototype for planetary aligned living, that will develop and mature through use and their design will evolve accordingly as a living system.. The Rune board is created using sacred geometry, cosmology and a blend of holistic sciences.They work in combination as a guidance tool that works with the subconscious to connect back to our ancestral intelligence, in harmony with our planet, with our soul and intuition. Back to a deep EMBODIED knowing and integrity we were all entitled to from birth.
02 RUNE ESSENCE
The Runes each have a core essence and symbolic meaning, that define the fundamental forces that they embody, and which shape our reality. The Ancestral Runes Essence is defined by the qualities of the platonic solid, alongside the symbolic qualities of the individual Rune name, augmented by the transformational potency of quartz and jasper.
They are living symbols imbued with profound spiritual power and cosmic significance, carrying the very essence of the concepts they represent. Regional composition is core to Rune philosophy, embodying a sense of place and connection to Earth’s frequencies. The platonic solids, the building blocks of the universe at the core of each Rune, are hewn from clear quartz and black jasper, both naturally found in the London Thames riverbed, ancient artefacts brought by ancestral glaciers.
03 RUNE PROVENANCE
Runes were the original forecasting tool used for divination, protection, healing, influencing nature and empowering objects. Used in daily governance, politics, relations and for power. In early Celtic customs, Runes signified a secret counsel or imparted secret wisdom and were considered far more than symbolic. Individual runes signified the cosmological concepts and principles they were named after
Each Rune contains an entire universe of meaning, representing the fundamental forces that shape reality itself. These sacred symbols serve as bridges between the physical and spiritual realms, they channel specific energies into the living world, manifesting intentions through ancient wisdom.‘The Vikings viewed runes not as mere letters, but as primordial symbols carrying inherent magical properties that preceded and transcended human communication.’
ANCESTRAL RITUAL
Rituals and ritual objects are a way to create a third space, a transitional plane of transcendence, enlightenment, and embodied connection between the cosmos, nature and ourselves. Its a rich fertile liminal dimension that is not often explored or valued in modern western culture.
Yet in Indigenous cultures, rituals are deeply significant, acting as living bridges to traditional knowledge, spiritual beliefs, and survival skills. Thus the Ancestral Ritual opens up a portal to a deeper sense of Kin and our connection to our collective ancestral intelligence.
The Ancestral Runes are a ritual based device, combining symbology, holistic science and relational prompts to encourage ecological reflection.
|
Kinship Code
|
Kinship Charter
|
Kinship Conversations
|
Kinship Glossary
|
〰️
|
Ancestral Code
|
Ancestral Map
|
Ancestral Runes
|
Ancestral Ritual
|
〰️
| Kinship Code | Kinship Charter | Kinship Conversations | Kinship Glossary | 〰️ | Ancestral Code | Ancestral Map | Ancestral Runes | Ancestral Ritual | 〰️
-
KINSHIP CODE is the first in the series from the ‘Ear to the Earth Sessions’ by Aterre Lab.
A series of immersive activations, often using digital or emerging technology - that invite engagement, deepen insight and promote dialogue around the pressing, critical issue of the impact of design upon how we relate to, value, and design for the ‘multi-species’ world.
-
Central Saint Martins - 19-25 April 2026
Our stickers and placards were across all UAL sites during Earth Week . The project intends to engage with the broad fertile melting pot of emerging designers, provocateurs and creators who will be responsible for shaping a planet positive future.
-
The slogan ‘WE ARE KIN’ serves as a salient reminder that we are part of the multi-species system. We ARE the natural world, we come from it, we return to it, we depend on it, we are physically and literally part of our planet’s living system!
Get your sticker and pledge your allegiance to Stand with Kin! Put it on your laptop, phone, anywhere it can be seen to get the message out.
Be part of the movement! Inspiring behaviour change from the grass roots up, mobilising a community of ethical stewards. The future is planet positive.
KINSHIP CODE™ Why it Matters
01
‘Kinship Code’ speaks to the desire for transformation, a paradigm shift from a human centric mindset to one that embraces multi-species as our kin. This activation seeks to inform and inspire behaviour change within the creative sector to inherently understand and champion designing for and 'with' all of our kin.
02
‘Kinship Code’ proposes ‘mutuality’ as the guiding principle for how we as ‘designers’ approach design. This activation acts as a introductory design primer, explaining some of the basic concepts of impact and relational dynamics via a multi-media approach.
03
The code and charter help to address the deeply entrenched post-colonial capitalist fault lines, that have promoted and preserved an extractivist, short termist, human centric culture, system and mindset.
04
This small almost guerilla style activation seeks to mobilise grass roots awakening, knowledge and action, in a highly accessible tech enabled manner. Creating immediate and equitable access that speaks the language of collective planetary wisdom, in a relevant format for the emerging creatives of tomorrow.
KINSHIP CHARTER
01 KIN
The world is a dynamic, interconnected living WEB, where the intrinsic health of each living being, entity and element impacts on the wellbeing of all those connected to it. We are all Kin.
02 RELATIONS
We realise that humans are just one part of this huge multi-species ecosystem, and so appreciate the real breadth of our biosphere community, systems and reciprocal resources. Which allows us to shift from a scarcity, resource grabbing mindset to one of Interconnected Abundance. We flourish alongside our Kin.
03 MIRROR
Climate change is a self correcting mechanism, that narrows the window of tolerance for ingrained dysfunctional attitudes and behaviours. It mirrors back what does not work via catastrophic climate impacts which expose the part that we as humans play. We pay heed to the voices of our Kin.
04 MUTUAL
We accept that the future of humans and nature are fundamentally, inextricably and reciprocally intertwined. When we take care of nature, we actually take care of ourselves, our home, our resources, our economic fortunes, our future safety. We prioritise the care of all our Kin.
05 CONGRUENT
We act with congruence, so our actions match our words and we challenge cognitive dissonance. Compartmentalisation is the universal and powerful mental defence mechanism that enables humans to live in denial of their reality; a world entirely based on human and beyond human abuse, extraction, subjugation and destruction. We act with integrity towards all our Kin.
06 CULTURAL
We acknowledge the damage of the globally pervasive post-imperial capitalist and patriarchal culture which dominates and continues to shape systems, governance and socio-economic structures. We make reparation on behalf of our Kin.
07 GENERATIONAL
Prioritises respect and reference to indigenous and place based knowledge, traditional skills, ancestral traditions, rituals and customs that have evolved over time. We honour the wisdom of all our Kin.
08 ACTION
Promotes grass roots community action, that opens up a future of our own imagining, regaining agency, dignity, sovereignty and a connection to our land, traditional skills, rituals and cutural heritage. We work in unity with our Kin.
KINSHIP CONVERSATIONS
Pigeons are one of Londons most misunderstood citizens. From their early roots in the city during Roman times, they played a critical role during both world wars, safely conveying strategic communications. Today they play a vital role again, as urban cleaners in the city, they consume food waste that would otherwise create an overwhelm of food for rats. They are also an important part of the food chain for predatory birds, helping them to flourish again in the city after near extinction. Hear about the impact of human attitudes towards our feathered city kin…
Urban foxes are often seen as a nuisance, even vermin, but the reality is that they are simply adapting to the urbanscapes that we create. Foxes are avid rat catchers, consuming 200-400 rats a year, often to feed their young. Look at the city from a foxes perspective, listen to how they perceive Kinship and what they would like from us….
Have you ever wondered what Kinship means to the more than human species living around us in the city….our multi-species kin intuitively understand the concept of kinship. As humans we have a lot to learn, let’s hear what our city kin in London have to say…and how they experience our human-centric world.
KINSHIP STICKERS
‘WE ARE KIN’ guerilla laptop stickers allow participants to access and share the website and digital content via a QR code. Helping spread the word, and inspire a community grass roots movement towards more than human reciprocity, mutuality and equanimity. And they are eco friendly too!
GLOSSARY
-
Mi’kmaq philosophy Msit No'kmaq is translated as All My Relations. It is a powerful philosophy and phrase which reflects a worldview of deep interconnectedness, honouring the embodied kinship and sacred relationship between humans, animals, plants, the earth, and the spiritual world.
-
Is the shared ancestral wisdom we all have access to, our shared experience, a collective knowledge and set of planetary principles, written into our genes, shared generationally, that brings us in touch with our ancestors nature-based traditions, skills, rituals, and embodied knowledge.
-
Being as one, relatives, clan, blood, belonging, care, alliance with nature. The belief that humans are part of a larger web of life, treating the land, animals, and water as brothers, sisters, or ancestors. Grounded in reciprocity and respect, this worldview sees all life; people, land, animals, and spirits as interconnected relatives ‘kincentricity’, rather than resources, mandating stewardship and deep care for all.
-
Is the responsible management and care of resources, whether natural, cultural, or social, with a moral obligation to benefit both present and future generations. It is a dominant philosophy in Indigenous cultures, which extends into ‘Kinship’ and care for all living and non-living elements of the earth.
-
Keystone species have a disproportionately large effect on their natural environment, relative to their abundance. So play a critical role in maintaining and engineering the structure of their community and ecosystem. Humans have the potential to play a vital role as a planetary keystone species.
-
The Seventh Generation is an Indigenous American philosophy that reminds us to think of any decision in terms of the impact it has on the next seven generations. It is also a Lakota prophecy that the seventh generation will rise up with all the peoples of the world, to make reparation for the damage to previous generations and the planet. We are now considered to be in the time of the seventh generation.
-
Along with similar terms such as beyond human, or more than human, they move away from human-centric design and perspectives, which treat nature as a resource. Toward a beyond-human model that fosters co-habitation and reciprocity. Treating non-human organisms as legitimate active participants with their own needs and sensory worlds, not merely as passive beneficiaries or scenery.
-
Reciprocal Systems describe a dynamic, often mutualistic exchange between living entities and their environment, fostering collective well-being and long-term viability. By attuning to reciprocal systems within the broader ecological webs of life, giving for what we receive, we naturally create more regenerative dynamics and a community of resources as kin.
-
Is the broad ecological reality of flourishing together through intertwined systems. It encourages and facilitates mutual consideration and respect for all and it requires each individual to think of themselves as a member of a larger group, community and system.
-
Refers to the patterns of interaction, communication, and influence that develop over time within a highly interdependent relationship system with inter-related dynamics. It describes the ebb and flow, the push and pull, and the impact from the ways in which actors and elements engage with one another.
-
Is a fundamental change in the basic concepts, practices, or worldview of a discipline or society, replacing an old, accepted model with a new, revolutionary one. It's more than just an update; it's a deep transformation in how things are understood or done, often driven by breakthroughs that challenge the status quo and lead to deep behavioural change. Famously described by Thomas Kuhn.
-
Item description
-
Extractivist culture, mindsets and societal systems treat natural resources, human bodies, and cultural knowledge as raw materials to be exploited for profit. Typically driven by imperial, capitalist and colonial power structures, it promotes a "take-make-waste" mentality, placing economic gain above ecological and social welfare.
-
Is the effect, positive or negative that our actions have upon our inter-dependent and inter-related system. Consciousness of the impact upon the web of resources that we and other species depend upon, increases our ability to make longer term planet conscious choices that benefit ourselves and our beyond human kin.
-
An experiential, sensory, visual and sometimes physical interactive installation, display, artwork, workshop or other community engagement practice - that inspires and provokes thought, reflection and consideration of beliefs, behaviours, cultural norms, practices and mindsets.