Projecting, infrastructuring and calculating: From an In vitro to an In vivo carbon market

Abstract

Mobilising the work of Alfred Schutz, this paper argues that action is inherently projection, and seeks to understand how calculation becomes entangled in action as projection and projects. We pursue this aim through an empirical study of the birth of an in-vitro carbon market in Australia. We demonstrate how, prior to its birth, the market was projected by means of two complementary activities – (1) the anticipatory visualization of a completed market through multiple means including texts, numbers, and economic models, and (2) operational infrastructuring through boundary-work, standardization, and the public design of devices to help manage the politics of projection. Calculation penetrates both processes, although different calculations were made. Through theorising action as projection, we highlight the temporal hybridity of action - how past, present, and future are encapsulated in calculative action, and why futures are not terra nova but familiar spaces, made with relatable knowledge of the past and present.