Alan Michelson, Špela Petrič, and Miriam Simun, exhibiting artists in "Symbionts: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere," convene in a panel discussion exploring interspecies communication and symbiosis.
Whether it is trees offering nectar to tempt bees (Simun), tobacco and its role in human ritual (Michelson), or plants and their gardeners (Petrič), many species engage with the vegetal and offer a form of what Petrič calls “vegetal consciousness.” Exhibition curators Natalie Bell and Caroline A. Jones guide the discussion to explore human collaborations with varied species and the role of digital media and technologies in facilitating our exploration and pursuit of these ways of knowing, thinking, or communicating beyond the human.