Still Life Ecologies is a performative installation that speculates on the possibility of a plant influencing its own portrayal, through a co-created process with a human partner.
An "X" shaped electronic device, created through open-source tools and hacking, is the mediator between human and non-human biological bodies. By employing bio-feedback sensors, microcontroller processing, and an EMS/TENS (Electronic Muscle Stimulation/Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit, electrical signals emitted by the plant can affect the arm and hand movement of the human.
The work navigates historical visual regimes, revisiting the conceptual principles of the "gaze", as articulated in art and media studies. By extending this framework to consider how plants have been represented across cultural and historical contexts, it proposes investigating the notion of a "plant gaze". Moreover, in a broader sense, the interactive component suggests a re-evaluation of authorship at the frontier of interspecies co-creation and collaborative practices.
