EDEN ARTECH

Trees and forests are invaluable resources for preserving biodiversity, and as a consequence for us humans. It is scientifically accepted that they are the most powerful tool, both for restoring degraded ecosystems on our planet and for fighting climate change. However, and despite their incredible adaptability and resistance, these organisms have become vulnerable. In addition, a large number of studies tend to demonstrate that their beneficial influence goes far beyond what had previously been thought, thereby leaving a whole field of possibilities open from an ecological point of view. At the same time, a certain number of communities also hold other knowledge about these organisms and their benefits: knowledge based on lived experience and ancestral knowledge which we understand today the importance so as to create modes of complementary apprehension of these vital spaces. In this regard, the case of the Maori community in New Zealand is significant and, in our opinion, likely to bring new ways of being with trees and to enrich the perceptions that we have of them, especially in Europe. In the dissemination of this diversity of knowledge, and faced with the complexity and volume of scientific data and information which still remain difficult to make perceptible, the role of artists seems crucial to us. It is through them that it is possible to create other means of access and experimentation, new perceptual fields as well as unique collective dynamics. Given the persistent gap between the scientific knowledge that we have with regard to ecological crises and the behavior with regard to environmental issues that remain sociologically quite unchanged, how can the alliance of the arts and technosciences contribute to generate new modes of action and intervention? To what extent can such an alliance generate conditions for a more global ecological awareness? Our hypothesis here is that the collected data, combined with other knowledge (that of the Maori) and creative immersive experiences (especially in 3D) could become the source of a better knowledge of the trees and their surrounding vegetation, thereby creating the conditions for greater sensitivity to environmental problems. The objective of EDEN ARTECH will be, on the one hand, to promote the creation of devices that will make scientific data sensitive, complementary to the more empirical knowledge of the indigenous populations, which usually escape the perception of most citizens. worldwide. Going through creative experiences, it will be a question of measuring, on the other hand, how artworks correlated with visualization or modeling are likely to affect the perception of natural environments. Finally, and through this means, greater awareness of ecological issues will be sought, for the purpose of redefining the bases of environmental policies based on sensitive experiences.