My Thesis Publication

Abstract

This research deals with the discourse on the perception of intelligence of other life forms through artistic practices. Therefore, it prompts a reflection within a hybrid art environment on how the observer processes and interacts with the artwork as a model for reconsidering their encounters in natural environments. This thesis addresses the possible ways to approach hybrid systems composed of the viewer, organic matter, and technology in interactive artworks to promote an occurrence that aims to shift our normalized understanding toward plant sentience in order to materialize a subtle connection. In a contemporary era of technological advancements, the anthropocentric world has become desensitized towards a Western paradigm in terms of its relationship with nature, characterized by a pursuit of control, power, and consumption. Exploring insights from art and nature calls for reconnection at a human level that acknowledges and amplifies awareness of the intelligence wielded by the vast biodiversity of life. This extraordinary possession of intelligence can provide a means to unpack sensitive dialogues between other lifeforms and ourselves. The involvement of vegetal life in an art experience produces an energy of confrontation that emerges from the artwork as a system. Within the context of interactive art, this connection calls for an embodiment experience that assists in reconfiguring our relationships and triggering a shift in perspective.