What is PlantBot Genetics?
Wendy DesChene (Métis Nation Canada) and Jeff Schmuki (USA) operate as PlantBot Genetics Inc., a satirical parody of agricultural corporations that manipulate food production systems. Using tactical media and public space to promote critical thinking on environmental issues they highlight the consequences of a disconnected and wasteful world. Through humorous robot-plant hybrids, they prompt discussions on the environmental costs of unsustainable practices. For example the Moth Project focuses on declining pollinator populations and environmental preservation. It engages the public through citizen science, education, and interactive experiences. Their solar-powered ArtLab, housed in an 18-foot trailer, serves as a mobile exhibition and community space. They aim to connect the public with environmental concerns and inspire engagement through art, technology, and civic action.
Why Street Based Actions and Tactical Media?
Art possesses the transformative potential to reshape perspectives, facilitate meaningful dialogue, and ignite societal transformations. Through unconventional approaches to sharing the creative process, participants are encouraged to embrace diverse viewpoints and liberate themselves from preconceived notions about the nature and possibilities of art. PlantBot Genetics endeavors to facilitate interactions that cultivate well-informed individuals who enthusiastically contribute as environmentally literate participants in our present world.
While the adverse consequences of excessive and wasteful consumption permeate our global landscape, the synergistic amalgamation of socially engaged art, environmental research, and citizen science can engender actions that advocate for the responsible utilization of our finite natural resources. By amplifying the voice of the environment through site-specific events that unfold in space and time, connecting data to specific locations, novel narratives emerge to bolster our collective influence in challenging the dominant governance systems that perpetuate the disproportionate greenhouse emissions of a select few corporations on a global scale.