Entangled Matter

A cascade of unprecedented chemical and physical reactions reshapes Earth’s land, air, and water, forging novel molecules, bacteria, and microorganisms that permanently alter nature—and ultimately the human species.

The planet has been undergoing accelerated transmutation for decades, driven by forever chemicals, nanomaterials and engineered microbes. These agents penetrate alpine springs, seep into ancient soils and become embedded in living cells. The total mass of non-biodegradable, human-made matter now exceeds the biomass of all plants, animals and fungi, marking a fundamental shift in the planetary biosphere. Boundaries between animate and inanimate are dissolving as hybrid materials form emergent molecular architectures beyond natural evolution. Novel macromolecules support new bacterial strains that metabolise synthetic compounds and convert waste into bioavailable nutrients, undermining any clear distinction between “natural” and “artificial”.

Plastics, once confined to landfills and oceans, now infiltrate mammalian circulatory systems. PFAS accumulate in cell membranes, altering fluidity and signalling. Trace polymer fragments appear in human organs, suggesting that synthetic matter can enter cells and the bloodstream and may interfere with cellular metabolism. Over generations, such intrusions may reshape epigenetic codes and affect development, immunity and behaviour. Insects host gut microbiota that digest microplastics, trees absorb airborne nanofibres, and marine plankton incorporate synthetic lipids into their membranes.

Humanity, once architect of the planet’s chemical inventory, now participates in an uncontrolled experiment. Substances designed for comfort have become agents of irreversible change, altering ecosystems and perhaps the genetic makeup of all organisms. As material boundaries fade, the future will be defined not by the purity of nature versus technology, but by their inseparable entanglement.

My project reflects this through found objects and arrangements in which organic and artificial substances intertwine: photographic RC paper buried and decomposed by microorganisms or soaked in waste oil, melting glaciers entwined with protective film, and installations in the studio and in natural environments.