pic of kyle
writing in handwriting
pic of kyle
teaching in handwriting
pic of kyle
are.na in handwriting
pic of kyle
happenings in handwriting
photo of kyle by cynthia liu
kyle barnes in handwriting
pic of kyle
professional in handwriting
pic of kyle and olivia
chimeras in handwriting
pic of kyle
art in handwriting
pic of kyle and raya
tomorrow soup in handwriting
kyle barnes written in handwriting tree 1 tree 1 tree 2 tree 2 grass grass grass grass grass grass grass picture of kyle taken by cynthia liu

i'm kyle, an artist-researcher trying to live well on a damaged planet.

pic of kyle

i create playful ritual gatherings. these look like full moon rituals, artisanal cornbread pop-ups, absurd immersive theater, classes about creatures, intellectual studies on the street, artist-scientist workshops, intentional dinner parties, interspecies collaborations, and much more.

i also design/build/strategize for aligned projects in the worlds of democracy reform, climate science, activism, and art. this looks like building web-based community mapping tools, designing climate tech products, writing for arts publications, and designing poetic websites.

i'm one half of chimeras collective, hosting interspecies gatherings and classes that re-enchant the urban ecologies of nyc. and i'm one half of tomorrow soup, creating alternative social and digital spaces for communal care, queer joy, and climate grief.

i am trying to be earnest. i am trying to be tender. the earth is a rough and patchy place. i seek to understand it, to unfurl its complexities. i believe that i will find wonder under each piece of soil, in the arcing path of every bird. i do not aspire for fame or fortune, but to be rich in friendship and connection. i seek relationality, not virality. generosity, not productivity.

drawing of a strawberry

teaching

i am a social practice artist; i teach and facilitate in non-institutional, non-hierarchical spaces.

a class about kinship with urban vermin. with the school of making thinking

becoming cyborg

6.25 - 7.25

a class about technological embodiment.

creatures

6.25

a class attending to disgust and urban vermin: rats, pigeons, cockroaches. with the strother school of radical attention.

becoming creature

10.24 - 11.24

a class of philosophical & embodied explorations of our creature worlds.
fugitive study and practice on the streets of nyc, with the strother school of radical attention.
a becoming creature guest workshop for pratt masters in communication design course, symbiotic futures. as chimeras collective.
an experimental dinner seminar series. with meher hans.
pic of kyle pic of kyle and raya pic of kyle

writing

writing to metabolize my experience of the world through analysis of culture, science, and creativity. open to collaborations on aligned writing projects; reach out!

diy personal newsletter for sharing my creative thinking.

moon bulletin

1.25 -

events i (and friends) host in nyc. sent every first and third quarter moon.
monthly dispatches sharing explorations and upcoming programming by chimeras collective.

things the mountain told me: notes on cyborg spiritualism

8.25

a zine weaving ecological and cyborgian writing on a mountain in colorado. ttmtm zine pic
considering the vermin with artist-researcher kyle barnes.
climate models could become infrastructure for our collective knowledge -- but the choices we make in building these simulated worlds matter.
towards a cyborg climate science.
A theory of design and HCI calling for more speculative, emotive, and ecologically engaged projects that create critical climate futures. as tomorrow soup.
pic of chimeras collective pic of kyle

art

projects in visual art, performance, and speculative design. i am medium agnostic, more interested in community and collaboration than curation and polish.

stuff i put in my notes app for some reason

8.25

a zine of absurd notes app dispatches. ttmtm zine pic

things the mountain showed me (cyanotypes)

8.25

series of cyanotypes made atop a mountain, with drawings overlaid. cyanotypes pic

things the mountain showed me (watercolors)

8.25

series of watercolors made atop a mountain, with drawings overlaid. watercolors pic

2025 moon calendar

1.25

a moon calendar for moon ritualists. 2025 moon cal pic

performances

9.19 -

a sample of some minimal, fluxus-inspired performances of coming-together.
speculative planetary performance collapsing capitalist and geological time.
a participatory digital memorial holding space for climate grief, as tomorrow soup.

dataghosts

5.22

a generative web installation about surveillance and data, as tomorrow soup.
internet art in response to the massive proliferation of 'Instagram activism'

icemelt

1.20

mixed media sonification of climate data, under mentorship of Laurie Anderson.
wearable technology for critical engagement with invisible borders.

art x fashion

3.19

art-inspired fashion show in collaboration with the princeton university art museum. watercolors pic
generative art creating abstracted tibetan sand mandalas.
drawing of grapes

professional

i'm available for freelance design and strategy: i work on early-stage projects building ecological resilience and creative capacity. reach out to collaborate on product design, experience design, community building and strategy.

representable

10.19 -

co-founder and executive director of a community mapping platform to fight gerrymandering.
board member and technical lead for data-driven democracy reform.
facilitator of attention practices and studies.

clay

3.24 - 11.24

fellow at open-source foundation model for earth observation data.

climate change AI

7.24 - 9.24

strategy for project visualizing climate data gaps. with external affairs.

homeworld collective

10.23 - 3.24

lead of product and design for automated techno-economic analysis tool.

climate institute

3.23 - 10.23

data and strategy for $400M climate science funding program.
diy site for nyc based experimental musician.
product manager building new reporting tools for the largest dataset in democratic politics.
pic of kyle

gatherings

seeding rituals and designing experiences for diy community building and ecological connection.

consumption book club

11.25 -

a literary and culinary exploration of modes of consumption. four courses, wine pairings, rituals, and a recipe zine. with colette estelle. consumption book club image

monthly moltings

9.25 - 12.25

ecology wonder walks attending to transitions in nyc's urban ecology. as chimeras collective. persimmon molting pics

immersive theater

7.25 -

elaborate absurdist immersive theater parties: glamazon prime day gala 2125 (july 2025) and the coven seeks new talent (halloween 2025). with olivia tai and vicki xu. theater events pics

moon parties

9.20 -

ritual celebration every full moon. moon party pic

cornbread pop-ups

5.24 -

baking cornbread, sharing with neighbors at fairs and farmers markets, raising funds for palestine. moon party pic

egg tour

4.25

guided tour of egg-themed spots around new york city. more to come. moon party pic

computer care cafe

9.23, 4.25

a spa for you and your laptop. as tomorrow soup. moon party pic

goodbye ctfxc16502

2.25

a memorial for my laptop. a computer cleanse. moon party pic

be-in

11.24

a post-election be-in for being with community. with amalia mayorga. moon party pic

a ritual for haunted landscapes

9.24, 10.24

a ritual for honoring the ghosts of our local land. in woodstock and brooklyn, ny. moon party pic

exchange of fascinations

9.23

a workshop bringing together climate scientists and artists to create around uncertainty. designed an accompanying zine/poster. moon party pic

beetles

9.23

an interspecies gathering honoring the aesthetic, cultural, and scientific impacts of beetles. as chimeras collective.

interregna

5.23

a ritual for climate grief, at con/crit/tec residency. as tomorrow soup. moon party pic

in found soil, in order to bloom

3.23

a ritual honoring soil. as tomorrow soup. moon party pic