The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants
Serpentine Galleries presented the third installment of this symposium and research project, presented as part of the General Ecology project. The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants brought together scientists, anthropologists, artists and theologians around plant sentience, plant intelligence, communication with the vegetal world and forms of mysticism and healing.
Participants included artists Saelia Aparicio, Antoine Bertin, Vivian Caccuri, Kapwani Kiwanga and Tabita Rezaire, film theorist Teresa Castro, theologian Amy Hollywood, Natural History Museum curator Miranda Lowe, Kew Gardens horticulturist Carlos Magdalena, political philosopher Michael Marder, anthropologist Natasha Myers, biocultural historian Kim Walker, sound recordist Chris Watson (presenting a new commission), writer Elvia Wilk and more.
PROGRAMME
1-4PM
Tabita Rezaire, Lubricate Coil Engine – Decolonial Supplication, offering, 2019
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Introduction
Kapwani Kiwanga, Miranda Lowe, Kim Walker, Toxic agents
Filipa Ramos and Lucia Pietroiusti, Introduction
Saelia Aparicio, green shoots, 2019, animation
Carlos Magdalena, Botanical Journeys
Panel with Chris Watson, Carlos Magdalena and Hans Ulrich Obrist
Saelia Aparicio, green shoots, 2019, animation
BREAK
4-7PM
*Natasha Myers, Rooting in the Planthroposcene
Michael Marder, On Vegetal Movements in Politics
Teresa Castro, Plant Agency: A Filmic Anthology
Panel with Michael Marder, Teresa Castro, Filipa Ramos and Lucia Pietroiusti
Antoine Bertin, The Edge of the Forest (Yamaguchi ATGC), March 2019 – NTS Radio
BREAK
7.30-11pm
Elvia Wilk, Death by Landscape: The Weird Outside
Amy Hollywood, “The ecstasy define–“: Emily Dickinson’s Mystic Poetic Botany
Panel with Elvia Wilk, Amy Hollywood, Filipa Ramos and Lucia Pietroiusti
Vivian Caccuri, The New World Syrup & The Fever Hand
Chris Watson, Salmo salar – The Three Realms, 45’, sound, commissioned by Serpentine Galleries and L-Acoustics on the occasion of The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants.
END
*denotes remote contribution
The event marked the premiere of sound recordist Chris Watson’s new, multichannel diffusion piece Salmo salar – The Three Realms, which traces the Atlantic salmon run from the sea ice edge of the Barents Sea to their spawning grounds by the source of the River Coquet in Northumberland, recording along the way the sounds of vegetation from the ‘three realms’ of saltwater, freshwater and air. Salmo salar was specially composed on this occasion for EartH Hackney’s unique 25.1 surround sound configuration, using L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology from L-Acoustics. This is Watson’s first time working with L-ISA technology.
As a prelude to The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants, an evening of screenings, talks and performances, titled PLANTSEX took place on 12 April at the Institut Français. Mal Journal Issue 3: PLANTSEX was on sale during the event.
The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants was curated by Lucia Pietroiusti (Curator, General Ecology, Serpentine) and writer and editor Filipa Ramos, with Holly Shuttleworth (Producer, Live Programmes, Serpentine) and Kostas Stasinopoulos (Assistant Curator, Live Programmes, Serpentine). Visual identity: Giles Round.
In partnership with the Institut Français du Royaume-Uni and with the support of Fluxus Art Projects.
With additional support from Instituto Inclusartiz and Delfina Foundation
Salmo salar – The Three Realms by Chris Watson was commissioned by Serpentine Galleries and L-Acoustics on the occasion of The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish, 19 May 2019, EartH London (part of the Serpentine’s General Ecology project). The project uses L-ISA (Immersive Sound Art) technology to deliver highly realistic, spatialised sound, like in nature itself.
