Abstract
Epiphytic Memory is an ongoing project motivated by the symbiotic homing relations of plants. The artist 3D-printed porcelain light detection and ranging (LIDAR) scans of ancient trees from Aotearoa New Zealand’s southern rainforests, situating them in hybrid environments in Otepoti Dunedin as scientific interventions. These site-specific sculptures function both as memories and as potential bio-scaffolds for new life. The project uses augmented reality to help understand the depth of time involved within the work, through an interactive gallery installation that simulates plant growth. In this article, the artist contextualizes the project through scientific research and indigenous Maori thought on plant relations and intelligence. Multiple forms of sentience connect within the project, and the artist uses philosopher N. Katherine Hayles’ ideas of planetary cognitive ecology and cognitive assemblages to understand the ecological value of this connected sentience and how these connections might facilitate plant-human dialogues.
