Between Signal and Noise

Climate change continues to have noticeable and accelerated impacts on various territories. Previously predictable and recognizable patterns used by humans and nonhumans alike are perpetually being altered, turning localized signals into noise and effectively disrupting indigenous modes of life. While the use of certain technologies such as data collection, machine learning, and automation can render these otherwise patternless information streams into intelligible content, they are generally associated as being “territorializing,” as an increase in resolution generally lends itself to control, exploitation, and colonization. Contrarily, indigenous groups with long-lasting relationships that have evolved over time have distinct ways of reading and engaging with their contexts, developing sustainable practices that, while effective, are often overlooked as being compatible with contemporary tools. This paper examines how the use of traditionally territorializing technologies can be paired with indigenous knowledge and protocols in order to operate between signal and noise, rendering perverse changes in the landscape comprehensible while also presenting their applications as a facet for sociopolitical, cultural, and ecological adaptation. A methodology defined as “decoding” and “recoding” presents four distinct case studies in the Arctic, addressing various scales and targets with the aim of disrupting current trends in order to grant and/or retain autonomy through what can be read as a form of preservation via augmented adaptation.