Disrupted Symbiosis 2022

In Disrupted Symbiosis, a series of four multimedia augmented reality paintings inspired by my ecological research, we are asked to consider the politics of human-mediated species loss. My decade of scientific investigations with Joshua tree pollinator and fungal populations have demonstrated that climate change impacts Joshua trees through species interactions that may come undone with the changing climate—work that has directly influenced Joshua tree species protections. I then apply this research to create underground painted soilscapes that hold an abundance of stories on fungal species, soil types, temperatures, and moisture, creating form through colors and texture. Illustrated root patterns are informed by Joshua tree roots grown in glass chambers and treated with desert fungi, allowing for a collaboration between the plant, fungi, and myself. The tears in the paper and changing stitching patterns represent symbiotic findings and the outcomes of tree-fungal relationships across climate zones. Each painting comes together as a unique experience of the Joshua tree ecosystem from a precise climatic location at the field sites. The painting can be activated by the viewer by downloading the free Artivive phone app. The Joshua tree paintings become animated, sharing a different ecocidal story for Joshua tree ecologies.