terra0 Forest

What would it mean if forests owned themselves? This question inspired terra0, a Berlin-based art group, to ask whether ecosystems should have rights similar to those we humans enjoy.

Since 2016, the group has been using art and new technologies to demonstrate the implications of these questions, and to explore how relationships between plants and humans could be structured in a less exploitative way. Inspired by the traditions of Land ArtLand artLand art is a tradition of artistic practice in which sculptures are created using the natural landscape. This approach emerged during the1960s in the United States and Europe, when many artists challenged the idea that art needed to take the form of physical objects to be sold to collectors and museums. The term was coined by artist Robert Smithson, whose 1970 artwork Spiral Jetty — an enormous spiral-shaped land formation in Utah — is one of the best known examples. and Social SculptureSocial SculptureSocial sculpture is a form of artmaking which proposes that every action in daily life can be considered art. The concept was made famous by the German artist Joseph Beuys in the 1970s, who regarded our shared social existence as one big sculpture, a moment of universal connectivity between natural materials, artefacts, humans, and even animals and plants. One of the best examples is Beuys’ Bureau for Direct Democracy (1972), which was exhibited at Documenta, Kassel in 1972. The project took the form of an office in which the artist and two assistants discussed the possibility of common citizens initiating public policy with passersby., they create artworks that seek to transform our relationship with nature and society.

terra0's early artworks consisted of living plants that the group modified with various technological devices to give them agency in a human-centered environment. The piece Premna Deamon (2018), for example, was a sculpture made from a living bonsai tree. terra0 equipped the tree with a sensor for soil moisture and temperature, which allowed a mini-computer to monitor the tree's health. By displaying this information on a web-based interfaceWeb-based interfaceWeb-based interfaces are a type of technology that allow people to interact with information on the internet. Some examples include internet browsers, websites, and smartphone apps. , the augmented bonsai communicated its health to human beings. It could then hire caretakers to provide water, lighting and food. To pay for this help, the sculpture used cryptocurrencyCryptocurrencyA cryptocurrency is a digital currency using blockchain. Unlike standard currencies which are regulated by governments or banks, cryptocurrencies are not, making them independent from these forms of control. These currencies don’t physically exist. Instead, these “coins” or “tokens” consist of pieces of data which are encrypted and stored in crypto wallets. Today, there are many cryptocurrencies in circulation, the most popular being Bitcoin and Ethereum., a form of digitised money that was donated by human visitors. This automation was made possible by a smart contractSmart contractA smart contract is an automated, online process to take decisions using blockchain. They are autonomous, meaning that once the rules are set, it is executed without discretion. They can be used to agree on financial transactions and the purchase of assets, such as NFTs or cryptocurrencies., a software programme which can administer digital money.

With their artwork Flowertokens (2018), terra0 took a step towards their goal of helping an entire forest to own itself. They began small, with individual plants. The group planted 100 dahlia flowers, and transformed each of them into a digital artwork. These pieces took the form of NFTsNFTAn NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique asset stored on blockchain, which maintains a certificate that points towards a server that holds an image, audio, or video file. This means that once an NFT is released, all information about it is publicly available, including its value, ownership, and proof of its uniqueness. Once an NFT is purchased, a smart contract verifies the file’s authenticity, and certifies its owner., unique digital tokens with attached images that cannot be copied, and that can be traded online. The digital files were updated every day, to reflect the changes in the physical flower, such as its growth and health. For terra0, these artworks are prototypes which show how technology can help non-human lifeforms to become legally and economically independent entities. In this way their work demonstrates how plants and entire ecosystems can one day be recognised as a sovereign subject. This achievement will be a crucial step towards an ecologically just world, and away from the human-centric attitude that fuels ecological crises, and endangers all life on earth.

Inspired by this vision, LAS is working with terra0 towards realising the large-scale forest artwork. This ambitious project revisits and updates the group’s initial concept to more accurately reflect the deep entanglement between ecosystems and social systems, acknowledging the importance of human actors in caring and advocating for the forest. It raises many questions concerning the ways we value nature and the kinds of agency we are willing to grant non-humans. It proposes a way in which humans, nature and technology can work together towards the common goal of interspecies thriving.