THE IMAGE OF SOIL

RhiZones is an immersive XR artwork series that takes a unique artistic approach, drawing inspiration from the vast, interconnected networks of the rhizosphere—the symbiotic relationships between plant roots, fungi, and microorganisms. These natural networks, based on symbiosis, diversity, and interdependence, have evolved over millions of years to secure sustainable growth and survival for all organisms involved. The rhizosphere exemplifies a profound holobiosis, where life thrives through cooperation, creating dynamic ecosystems that adapt and evolve over deep time.

In RhiZones, these biological networks become a powerful metaphor for the larger nature-culture continuum, where the boundaries between organic and inorganic, human and non-human, blur into a single living whole. Drawing on scientific research into the communication strategies of the small worlds network—a mathematical model of interconnected nodes that balances local clustering with global reach—this series challenges traditional notions of biological entities and offers alternative social and economic interpretations. By exploring how nature’s networks function, RhiZones opens new perspectives on our ecosystems and, more broadly, on our reality.