Today, technology is an integral part of our daily lives and lifestyles. It mimics the way we talk, tracks our movements and predicts underlying trends.
"Cables = Racines: Quand Nature et Technologie font corps" (in English, "Cables = Roots: When Nature and Technology become one") is both a physical exhibition and an NFT sale organized as part of the Constellations digital art festival in Metz. Hosted in a magnificent 18th-century chapel, the Chapelle des Trinitaires, the exhibition responds to the festival's main theme of biomimicry, in which digital tools are used to raise awareness of environmental emergencies. Conceived as an exploration of various techniques and inspirations, it shows us how our natural and digital environments can coexist.
The selection of artists and works presented is inspired by biomimicry, following the concept that roots nourish plants and enable them to communicate with each other, in the same way in which Internet cables and wires produce a similar effect in the digital domain. Artists such as Hanne-Lizé create 3D animations inspired by the forest and the natural world, infusing electricity into these environments that add a touch of magic, but also cause us to question the impact of the technological on the environmental. Other artists such as Gaël Corboz interweave and imagine worlds where gigantic mycelia - the very embodiment of a hidden underground network - reign in the midst of surreal landscapes. The imaginary worlds of Franz Rosati, Julie Berger Lindh, and NOCELLCOVERAGE created with AI, 3D and manipulated film respectively, propose alternative worlds where the natural is produced by the digital. The use of the different techniques employed by each of these artists are testament to the diversity and freedom provided to digital artists through the use of new technologies and tools. Last but not least, the works of Hannes Hummel reimagines the floral still life in our digital era. In these works, it is difficult to discern if the flowers we are looking at are living or robotic.
Biomimicry reveals to us that technology can become an ally, whilst also posing critical questions about the current state of our technological and environmental balance of the world. Here, nature and technology provide energy, encourage communication and sharing, and demonstrate that they can be one and the same.