Joanna Hoffmann, assistant: Mateusz Janik
May 16, 12:00 PM (noon) – workshop (registration required)
May 16, 1:00 PM – olfactory experience
Performing Arts Centre, foyer
The number of spots for the workshop is limited. Please register online.
Registration for the olfactory experience is not required.
“Life is the universe developing a memory” – Lee Cronin
Participants are encouraged to smell garden soil samples specially prepared by SPIN-FERT scientists and write down spontaneous memories, thoughts, or emotions. These statements are classified into four categories and arranged as a poem list, becoming the basis for creating a model of the RNA molecule – a special “memory molecule.” Similar in its morphology to DNA, the RNA molecule, called the basic molecule of life, plays a fundamental role in cellular processes: metabolic and evolutionary, especially in transferring genetic information.
Composed of individual memories, 3D RNA models (tertiary structure) will be printed from bioplastic and added to the soil. They will disintegrate over time, becoming part of the soil’s “living memory” and, indirectly, of the plants that will grow from it. The secondary structure of RNA creates an interactive archive available at: artscience-node.com/memory-nexus-archive/.
The Breath of the Earth: Memory Nexus (memory molecules) is an art & science project in which scent becomes a link between soil memory and human memory. It also refers to scent as one of the basic communication tools in nature’s networks.
The smell of soil is a treasure trove of knowledge about its composition and the processes that occur in it. At the same time, it is a source of emotions and memories that resonate over time, shaping our identity and bonds with the world around us.
By exploring the language of smell and its meaning in nature and culture, the project highlights our interconnectedness and the need to deepen our knowledge and wisely manage our fundamental resource, soil.
It takes about 1,000 years to form 1 cm of soil, a disproportionately long time compared to the alarming rate of its degradation.
Memory Nexus is part of an international project within Horizon Europe Research & Innovation / Mission Soil, SPIN-FERT Innovative practices, tools, and products to boost soil fertility and peat substitution in horticultural crops.
The artistic project aims to increase ecological awareness and support the popularization of scientific research on the soil microbiome and high-quality compost (garden soil) that can replace peat in gardening. Thus, it can contribute to protecting peat bogs and wetlands from their exploitation.
Prof. dr hab. Joanna Hoffman is a multimedia artist and leader of the Studio for Transdisciplinary Projects and Research at the University of Arts in Poznań. She runs the Art & Science Synergy Foundation and Art & Science Node in Berlin. She has participated in many art and science residencies and interdisciplinary projects, including European programs such as the EU Horizon 2020. Currently, she leads the working group of the SPIN-FERT Consortium, part of Horizon Europe (Mission Soil), which is responsible for communicating scientific research. Her artistic works have been widely presented in venues such as the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Warsaw; the Science Museum/DANA Centre and MOCA in London; Transmediale Festival of Digital Art and European Patent Office in Berlin; Prefecture Art Museum in Hiroshima, MUSE New York. She was the Artist of Honour of the 12th Florence Biennale in 2019. She was awarded the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland in 2020.
Mateusz Janik is a new media artist and assistant at the Studio for Transdisciplinary Projects and Research at the University of Arts in Poznań, a member of the Art & Science Node Team. His works were exhibited in Poland and abroad, and he is currently a stipendist at the National Centre of Science with his project: “The Death of Avatar.”