Embracing the arts for systemic change, NaturArchy proposes to re-consider our imaginaries on nature and the non-human.

The exhibition probes issues of deep ecology, sustainability and the decolonisation of nature. A number of art and science works explore and query nature and law, the entanglement of human and non-human, green technologies and new materials, nature and law, ecology and economy, ancient and new knowledge. From global oceans to water flows, from contamination and bacteria to climate tipping points, pollinators, and landscapes of natural hazards; from natural and artificial intelligence to non-human values, forests, lands, soils, composting; from grief and mourning to rituals, wonder and collective action.

NaturArchy is the theme and curatorial concept of the fourth edition (2022-2024) of Resonances, the flagship initiative of JRC SciArt which fosters collaborations between artists, scientists and policymakers.

NaturArchy aims to explore – through artistic, scientific and legal expressions – how providing Nature and its phenomena with a contract that integrates her totally into our society can redefine our anthropocentric relationship with Nature. Intersecting science and law, reason and style, art and judgment, policy and imagination, NaturArchy wants to re-imagine the western relation of human and non-human, in an attempt to ensure juridical persona to Nature’s many wonders, be they stardust or DNA.

After two years of deep inquiry, research and co-creation, which began with a summer school at Joint Research Centre in 2022 and continued with artistic residencies at JRC in 2023, these works provocatively call to be juxtaposed to artefacts of natural and cultural heritage. To re-imagine our sense of place and belonging to the world; to respond to the entangled and profoundly symbiotic relationship between human and environment, through play and exploration of new possible configurations of the world.

Read more about: JRC • Resonances IV • NaturArchy