Art & Science project being developed by Joanna Hoffmann with the ASN Team in the frame of the SPIN-FERT / Horizon Europe (Misson Soil) program
ORCHID is an interactive, immersive audiovisual installation that transforms the delicate life cycle of an imaginative orchid into a collective, participatory experience. From seed to flowering to seed again, the artwork invites audiences to reflect on nature as a continuous flow and exchange of information and resources.
The orchid in this installation is not a fixed species but a metaphor for the resilience, beauty, and interdependence of living systems. Its environment is presented as a dynamic, integrated network, emphasising the invisible but vital interactions that sustain ecosystems. At the same time, it calls for awareness about ecological dangers: soil degradation, climate change, and the decline of pollinators.
By requiring participants to coordinate their actions, the artwork insists on a recognition of interdependence—between humans and non-humans, aboveground and underground, visible and invisible agents of life. As an artistic statement, ORCHID belongs to the broader discourse of eco-art and participatory media, which seek to bridge science, technology, and aesthetics in order to reimagine our relationship with the natural world. Orchids themselves carry cultural and ecological symbolism: admired for their beauty, yet reliant on precise symbiotic relationships with fungi and pollinators. This duality—beauty entwined with vulnerability—echoes the precarious state of ecosystems under the pressures of climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable practices.
Interactive experience
Participants become active agents in the life cycle of the orchid. Their coordinated actions trigger phases of growth and transformation. Failures in coordination stall or fragment the process, mirroring the vulnerability of ecosystems under stress. The artwork blurs boundaries between audience and environment, turning viewers into co-creators of a fragile system whose survival depends on cooperation.
This embodied participation underscores the necessity of collective action to overcome ecological dangers.
By viewing the environment not as a collection of discrete objects but as a network of interactions, ORCHID offers a new perspective on how we perceive and engage with the natural world. This project aims to deepen our understanding of the inherent connections between organisms and their surroundings, fostering a greater appreciation for the delicate balance that sustains life.
By immersing participants in the orchid’s cycle, ORCHID renders visible and experiential the invisible networks that underpin life. It conveys that ecological dangers are not distant abstractions but shared conditions of survival. The installation thus becomes both a warning and an invitation: a warning of the consequences of ignorance and indifference, and an invitation to imagine cooperation, solidarity, and care as pathways to renewal.
Team: Joanna Hoffmann (concept), Norberto Hernandez, Andre Bartetzki, Supipi Amarajeeva, Vignesh Sethuraman
Holism and Holobiosis
The installation embodies a holistic view of life, where organisms and their environments are inseparable. This interconnectedness is central to understanding how life functions as a unified whole.
Dynamic and Complex Systems
The orchid's life cycle is portrayed as a complex system, characterized by constant change and adaptation. Participants witness the flow of information and resources through this system, highlighting the dynamic nature of life.
Information Flow and Networks
"Orchid" visualizes the continuous flow of information between various agents within the ecosystem. This flow is essential for the transformation and growth of the orchid, demonstrating how life is sustained through communication and cooperation.
more coming soon
Cosmic Orchid, animation by Plelly Panagiota