[Studiotopia] NASTJA AMBROŽIČ: ‘Hyphera’

Razstava // 21. maj do 3. julij 2026
@Galerija Kapelica, Likozarjeva 1 (4. nad.)

*Galerija Kapelica je odprta vsak ponedeljek, sredo & petek med 10h – 17h ter vsak torek & četrtek med 12h – 19h.

Eksperimentalno-umetniška instalacija je v svoji prvi iteraciji zastavljena kot raziskovanje… elektrofiziologije rastlin in gliv ter načinov, kako živi sistemi brez centralnega živčnega sistema generirajo, prenašajo in modulirajo električne signale. Elektrika je razumljena kot relacijski medij – nosilka signala, odziva in morda informacije – ter odpira v znanosti še nerazrešeno vprašanje potencialne električne komunikacije med vrstami.

V instalaciji sta dve rastlini v ločenih substratih povezani preko micelijskega mostu. Rastlini in micelijski most so prepleteni s tehnološkim sistemom, ki z elektrodami zaznava in beleži nizkonapetostne bioelektrične spremembe v rastlinah. Merjenje ni razumljeno kot pasivno beleženje podatkov, temveč kot poseg, ki vzpostavlja odnos in soustvarja sistem, ki ga opazujemo.

Instalacija je v eksperimentalni fazi in je predstavljena kot umetniško-raziskovalni proces. Prva faza je bila usmerjena v vzpostavitev stabilnega okolja za preživetje organizmov in omogočanje rasti glive preko razmika v agarju. V nadaljevanju se bo raziskava usmerila v opazovanje kako stimulacija ene rastline sproži zaznavne bioelektrične spremembe v drugi in raziskovanje vloge micelijskega mostu kot povezav med rastlinama.

Pred približno 400 milijoni let so rastline in glive vzpostavile enega najstarejših znanih simbiotskih odnosov na Zemlji – arbuskularno mikorizo. Gliva Rhizophagus irregularis, uporabljena v instalaciji, je obligatorni simbiont, kar pomeni, da ne more preživeti brez gostiteljske rastline. Organizmi ne delujejo kot ločene enote, temveč kot prepleten sistem izmenjave, v katerem so medsebojno odvisni. Odpre se vprašanje: ali sploh obstaja ločen organizem?

S povezovanjem živih organizmov in elektronskih vmesnikov v projektu želimo preseči delitev med naravo in tehnologijo in obravnavati sistem kot hibridno, večplastno mrežo – nekakšno ‘bio-vezje’. To postane izhodišče za premislek o odgovornosti, soodvisnosti, simpoezi (sympoiesis), medsebojni prepletenosti in načinih sobivanja, ukoreninjenih v ekofeministični misli.

*Projekt je bil razstavljen v sklopu skupinske razstave ZEMLJA BREZ LJUDI: ‘Uporniška komputacija’.

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Strokovna sodelavca: dr. Marina Dermastia, Gregor Krpič | Strokovna pomoč: Jakob Grčman | Svetovanje: dr. Paula Pongrac, dr. Jasna Dolenc Koce | Produkcija: Zavod Kersnikova / Galerija Kapelica v okviru projekta STUDIOTOPIA, ki ga je financirala Evropska unija v okviru projektov evropskega sodelovanja (CREA-CULT-2023-COOP-3) na podlagi sporazuma o dodelitvi sredstev 101130939. Izražena stališča in mnenja pripadajo izključno avtorjem in ne odražajo nujno stališč in mnenj Evropske unije ali Evropske komisije (EK). | Projekt so podprli: Ministrstvo za kulturo RS & MOL – Oddelek za kulturo

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Exhibition // May 21 to July 3, 2026
@Kapelica Gallery, Likozarjeva 1 (4th floor)

*Kapelica Gallery is open every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every Tuesday and Thursday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

In its first iteration, this experimental art installation is conceived as an exploration of… the electrophysiology of plants and fungi, and the ways in which living systems without a central nervous system generate, transmit, and modulate electrical signals. Electricity is understood as a relational medium—a carrier of signals, responses, and perhaps information—and raises the as-yet-unresolved scientific question of potential electrical communication between species.

In the installation, two plants in separate substrates are connected via a mycelial bridge. The plants and the mycelial bridge are interwoven with a technological system that uses electrodes to detect and record low-voltage bioelectric changes in the plants. The measurement is not understood as passive data recording, but as an intervention that establishes a relationship and co-creates the system we are observing.

The installation is in its experimental phase and is presented as an artistic-research process. The first phase focused on establishing a stable environment for the organisms to survive and enabling fungal growth through the gaps in the agar. Moving forward, the research will focus on observing how stimulation of one plant triggers detectable bioelectrical changes in another and on investigating the role of the mycelial bridge as a connection between the plants.

About 400 million years ago, plants and fungi established one of the oldest known symbiotic relationships on Earth—arbuscular mycorrhiza. The fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, used in the installation, is an obligate symbiont, meaning it cannot survive without a host plant. Organisms do not function as separate units, but as an intertwined system of exchange in which they are mutually dependent. This raises the question: does a separate organism even exist?

By connecting living organisms and electronic interfaces in this project, we aim to transcend the division between nature and technology and view the system as a hybrid, multi-layered network—a kind of “bio-circuit.” This serves as a starting point for reflecting on responsibility, interdependence, sympoiesis, mutual entanglement, and modes of coexistence rooted in ecofeminist thought.

*The project was featured as part of the group exhibition EARTH WITHOUT HUMANS: ‘Rebellious computing’.

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Expert collaborators: Dr. Marina Dermastia, Gregor Krpič | Expert assistance: Jakob Grčman | Consulting: Dr. Paula Pongrac, Dr. Jasna Dolenc Koce | Production: Zavod Kersnikova / Kapelica Gallery as part of the STUDIOTOPIA project, funded by the European Union under the European Cooperation Projects (CREA-CULT-2023-COOP-3) based on grant agreement 101130939. The views and opinions expressed belong exclusively to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Commission (EC). | The project was supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia & City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture