Ecoshroom V.01 is an art science project that re-imagines life in urban areas. Emphasizing the need to bring agriculture back to the cities this installation experiments with the merging of natural and technological systems towards a more sustainable future.

The exhibition features a custom-built AI that analyses and makes visible the exchange between mycorrhizae and plants. The installation engages visitors with a visual data stream as well as sounds that represent the plant and fungi communication. Visitors can also participate in the communication chain by eating food and throwing left-overs in a compost basket, thus contributing to the functioning and cycle of the installation.

Ecoshroom V.01 critically engages and provokes discussions about which technologies we want to develop from a vision on sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity by envisioning a harmonious coexistence between plants, fungi and humans through technological innovation.  Asking “What if plants were the brain of the building?”, Ecoshroom V.01 shows the possibilities for innovative approach to architecture design: creating an autonomous system, guided by the cognition of plants and fungi, together with artificial intelligence.

For example, the glass pavillion where the work is presented is incorporated in Ecoshroom V.01’s installation. Sensors are placed on the plants and fungi that generate signals to be analysed by the Ecoshroom AI. The AI will then adjust the atmosphere such as temperature, light, co2 and humidity according to the organism’s needs.

With the world’s population surpassing 8 billion, transformative narratives are crucial, addressing climate change, food security, and biodiversity. The continuing vast rates of deforestation and rampant overuse of fertilisers have depleted soils and ecosystems, threatening biodiversity. Ecoshroom V.01 invites us to reimagine a world cocreated by plants, fungi, humans, and technology by shedding light on the possibilities of interspecies communication.

The idea for Ecoshroom V.01, was conceived during Ivan Henriques Machine Wilderness residency, organised by Zone2Source together with FoAM at ARTIS Royal Zoo in 2022. There he met with professor Toby Kiers (evolutionary biologist at V.U.) for his research on mycorrhiza, a cohabitation of fungi and plants. Ecoshroom V.01 was further developed in the Hungry Ecocieties residency of S+T+ARTS EU for Hungry Eco-Cities, in collabioration with various international partners.

Watch the video on Ecoshroom V.01 research here.

Credits
Artist: Ivan Henriques
Software and hardware engineer: Simon de Bakker
AI engineer: Michiel van Overbeek
Biology technician: Dr. Sandrine D’Haene
Interactive interface designer: Noémi Biró
Advisors: Dr. Vasilis Kokkoris (VU Amsterdam), Joske Ruytnx (VUB), Elly Morrien (UvA), Stephan Petermann (OMA/ARCHIS), Monika Löve and Chiara Borghi (CRA), and Dr. Cristina Varese (Torino University).
Produced by: K.O. Productions & Imagining Other …