World Wide Wood
Rita Castanheira
2025
Edigma Semibreve Scholar
Escola das Artes
Universidade Católica do Porto
Doutoramento em Ciência e Tecnologia das Artes
Free admission
Installation
Date + Hour
22.10 Thursday—24.09 Thursday
09:30—18:30
Place
gnration
“World Wide Wood” is inspired by the book “Ways of Being” by James Bridle, with the second chapter of the book giving the video its name. Bridle highlights the ‘wood wide web’ as an example of plant intelligence, showing that trees communicate and share resources through underground fungal networks. The conversations heard throughout the video reveal how disconnected we feel from ourselves, from others, and from nature, as well as a general lack of a sense of belonging. There’s a gradual process of trying to understand plants and how they communicate. The piece calls for interconnection and cooperation between species; a new way of thinking that doesn’t focus on speed or endless growth, but on the self-preservation of communities that take into account the ecosystem they are part of.