Art & Science Node at World Biodiversity Forum 2026

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Joanna Hoffmann / Art & Science Node (ASN) will participate in the World Biodiversity Forum 2026 in Davos, contributing to the Art & Culture for Biodiversity programme.

Joanna Hoffmann/ASN will present two interconnected contributions:

• Memory Nexus Workshop – a participatory, sensory experience exploring relationships between soil ecosystems and humans through the language of smell. The smell of soil, produced by microbial life and chemical processes, carries ecological knowledge while evoking personal emotions and memories that shape our identities and bonds with the environment. Rooted in the Horizon Europe/Mission Soil project, SPIN-FERT, the workshop aims to foster deeper connections between humans and soil. 

• VR installation: RhiZone: [M-Other]  – an immersive artwork inviting audiences into the hidden networks of the rhizosphere, revealing the complexity and interdependence of underground life systems. RhiZone[M-Other] was realised in the frame of the SPUN (Society for the Protection of Undeground Networks) Expedition: Mycorrhizal Wealth of East Carpathians.

Both contributions ART 6 & ART 7 highlight the role of art–science practices in advancing biodiversity awareness, knowledge exchange, and multi-actor engagement.

We look forward to engaging with researchers, artists, and stakeholders to explore new ways to sense, understand, and communicate biodiversity.