In Conversation With Tomás Saraceno, The Artist Who Wants Us To Enter A Non-Human World Of Vibration

Saraceno wants us to look at humanity’s presence with new eyes. “We have lost understanding of the importance of our surroundings. We have to rethink the world. Together,” he announces in a messianic tone. According to him, dialogue and collaborative participation can lead us towards a greater ecological sensitivity. “As spiders tell us, we are all connected through an apparatus we do not understand. Everything is entangled in an ecosystem. People should pay more attention to sense and listen to other voices,” he shares. Saraceno’s work is not meant to offer a solution, rather, “it’s about improvement, about awakening people about the consequences of their way of engaging with the planet,” he says. “The exhibition can be seen as a metaphorical microphone; it gives spiders and communities more attuned to the rhythms of nature, more sensitive to rituals, a voice” When asked about his role as a successful artist in debates about an ecological future, he answers that “we are all responsible; we can either watch or act. As an artist, I’m just trying to do artistic practice in an ecological way, conscious of all ecologies.” He begins to grin as he adds, “I always say that a spider looked down at me and told me, ‘You stupid human, do something’”. This leads to a discussion about indigenous communities, shamans, and mass extinctions. “Humans have decoupled from other species; we have lost the ability to understand nature and animals, fearing them instead. The exhibition can be seen as a metaphorical microphone; it gives spiders and communities more attuned to the rhythms of nature, more sensitive to rituals, a voice,” he explains. When asked about what the voice would say, “the future is in danger,” Saraceno says declaratively.