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On the outskirts of the exurban relics lining the border territory of Iran and Afghanistan lies a sterile no-man’s land, born historical witness to unspeakable atrocities, yet still suffering the effects of decades of strife. Fractal cracks in the earth’s surface are interrupted by blooms of wildflower and landmine alike.

The Metabolic Machine is a land-scraping megastructure, tasked with revitalizing scarred terrain; a beacon both cautionary and hopeful. It is a large-scale de-militarizing force composed of repurposed and fragmented military relics; a farming implement wrought at topographic scale.

This new machine ecology is best described in biologic terms: it feeds on diesel, sunlight, and exploded landmines. Hydraulic oil courses thru its veins. Its appendages are detachable, deployable, sacrificial. It communicates in a timeless metallic language of creaking, groans and shrieks. Local populations are drawn into its wake, craving the safety of its shadow.

They share a symbiotic relationship with their new host. Micro-economies, informal shelters and spontaneous agricultural pursuits emerge at the prospect of purified land in these new technologic wilds.