Future Nature

Festival of Future Nows, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin

What will the future of our ecosystems look like? Which species will survive, and which will vanish? With Future Nature, Elise Eeraerts and Roberto Aparicio Ronda present tiny hovering and flying sculptures that move freely about the exhibition space. They are built from ultralight materials such as Mylar and carbon fibre, and the mechanisms by which they fly are based on those used by small drones and dirigibles. Hybrid beings, these sculptures fall somewhere between plant, animal, and human. Their appearance is inspired by both invasive and endangered species, especially insects. Their shapes look simultaneously familiar and foreign, evoking uncanny feelings and provoking thoughts about the ambivalence of nature and technology.