Ecological Strangers is an anti-productivity chrome extension aimed at helping people break free from the landscape of productivity and overcome a state of species loneliness, a feeling of disconnection from nature. Every hour, the extension infiltrates one’s browser to engage one with various pop-ads and soundscapes of Ecological Strangers — the nameless natural species that are local to their area. By activating people’s webcams, the website mirrors the audience in the background, thereby inviting them to reflect upon their view on productivity and actively encouraging them to reroute their attention to a meaningful physical space.

The erotic visual language is designed not only to suggest our perilously profound ignorance of natural ecologies and also to be visually arresting... Two seemingly unrelated subjects, sex workers and natural species, share an unexpected commonality; they are strangers whom we tend to ignore, and yet they are always available to interact with us nearby and heavily depend on our attention for their survival.

Ecological Strangers invites people to speculate on an alternative scenario: What will happen if we all collectively resist a profit-driven technology landscape and start planting our attention in nature? Would downtime be still viewed as a missed opportunity?