Symbiosis in intra-flux of the Anthropocene

In 2019 and again in 2022 bio media artist Saša Spačal carried out artistic research for her new project Symbiosis in intra-flux of the Anthropocene at the Rillig Group, Ecology of Plants, Institute of Biology, FU Berlin. She addresses pressing societal and environmental issues such as climate crisis and plastic pollution in the context of symbiosis as a process of planetary metabolism in the case studies such as red clover-bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi.

The collaboration was meant as a research project that will delve into the material aspects of interspecies connections that Saša Spačal and her colleagues Dr. Mirjan Švagelj and Anil Podgornik have already researched with previous artistic biotechnological installations such as Myconnect, Symbiome, Plastic_ity, Earthlink. Collaboration with the research team at Free University Berlin will take the form of observations of experiments, interviews, planning artistic experiments and the conception of a new series of works.

Towards the end of her first residency in November 2019 Art Laboratory Berlin hosted a public presentation and discussion about the topics that residency covered, together with scientists from the Rillig Group (29 November 2019, at Art Laboratory Berlin).

Fungal cultures, photo: Moises Sosa, Rillig Laboratory, FU Berlin 2019

Fungal movement as growth and physiology, figure by Miloš Bielčik, Biomove, Rillig Laboratory, FU Berlin 2019

Exploring botanical gardens, imaging greenhouse diaries, photo: Saša Spačal

Exploring botanical gardens, imaging greenhouse diaries, photo: Saša Spačal

Saša Spačal (www.agapea.si) is an artist working at the intersection of living systems research, contemporary and sound art. Her artistic research focuses on the development of technological interfaces and relations with organic and mineral soil agents while trying to address the posthuman situation, that involves mechanical, digital and organic logic within contemporary biopolitics and necropolitics.
Her work was internationally exhibited and performed: Ars Electronica Festival (AT), Prix Cube Exhibition (FR), Transmediale Festival (DE), Athens Digital Arts Festival (GR), Perm Museum of Contemporary Art (RUS), Onassis Cultural Center Athens (GR), Chronos Art Center (CHN), Cynetart Festival (DE), National Art Museum of China (CHN), DaVinci Festival (KR), Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (SI), Kapelica Gallery (SI), Device_art Festival (CRO), Extravagant Bodies Festival (CRO), Art Laboratory Berlin (DE), Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina (SRB), Lisboa Soa Festival (PT), Sonica Festival (SI). She was awarded the Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention, nominated for the Prix Cube and the New Technological Art Award.

Saša Spačal, photo: Tadej Čauševič

Saša Spačal: Symbiome, biotechnological installation, photo: Miha Godec

Some of the previous works by Saša Spačal and collaborators:
Earthlink: https://www.agapea.si/en/projects/earthlink
Plastic_ity: http://www.steklenik.si/sasa-spacal-plast_ika/
Meta_bolus: https://www.agapea.si/en/projects/meta_bolus-2
Symbiome: https://www.agapea.si/en/projects/symbiome-the-economy-of-symbiosis
Myconnect: https://www.agapea.si/en/projects/myconnect

A cooperation between Art Laboratory Berlin and the Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin
Rillig Group – Ecology of Plants, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin
https://www.bcp.fu-berlin.de/en/biologie/arbeitsgruppen/botanik/ag_rillig/index.html
https://rilliglab.wordpress.com/