People exploring the complexity of network MIKE

M.I.K.E

Aadjan van der Helm2022, AI, Sustainbility

We live in an age of intense digitalization and urbanization. Most of the world’s population lives in cities and people, especially the youth, spend an increasing amount of time online in front of screens. These phenomena have driven humanity away from nature.

The goal of the installation is to open visitors’ eyes to the value of hidden nature through an immersive experience, so that they become more appreciative of the nature around them and reconnect with it.

There is much more to forests and even tiny city parks than meets the eye. Plants are connected underground by complex mycrorrhizal networks. Through these networks, plants provide fungi with carbohydrates and receive the water and minerals on which they depend. They also use this communication system to send warning signals when under attack. Mycorrhizal relationships are present almost everywhere plants exist and have numerous benefits in urban areas.

A project by Rita Julia Górriz Salanova, Olaf Kamperman, Sasha Kiselev, Julia Kleinwächter, Tieme van Wijnen, and Pablo Yániz González