From 20 November to 16 December, you can visit the exhibition Hortus ex Machina: Principles of Care at the Tomatoworld innovation centre. The exhibition explores the intersection of technological innovation and care for plants, people and work in greenhouse horticulture and features works by artists Penelope Cain, Špela Petrič, Ioana Lupascu, Anastasia Eggers and Margherita Soldati.
The Dutch horticultural system stands out within Europe due to its size. The sector is also constantly evolving thanks to new technologies and automation. At the invitation of Waag, artists Penelope Cain and Špela Petrič explored the promises of hyper-optimisation in greenhouse horticulture and its ethical and ecological implications. In doing so, they asked themselves: how do the implementation of technology and profit-driven automation influence the relationship between people, plants and work?
Guided tour
The exhibition runs until Tuesday 16 December and can only be visited by booking a tour in advance. To book a tour, please contact Tomatoworld.
About the exhibition
The artworks in Hortus ex Machina: Principles of Care paint a picture of the experiences and perspectives gained by the artists during their research in the greenhouses. Amidst the complex system that underpins greenhouse horticulture, they reflected in their own way on the underlying principles of care for plants, people and work. In addition to the installations by Cain and Petrič, the exhibition features the joint artistic interventions in strawberry cultivation carried out by artists Ioana Lupascu, Anastasia Eggers and Margherita Soldati on behalf of Waag Futurelab. The exhibition takes place in Tomatoworld, the innovation centre for Dutch greenhouse horticulture.
Penelope Cain – The Translator
What if robots and plants could communicate with each other? The Translator playfully imagines a future 'Institute for Non-Human Linguistics' and presents a narrative play between a group of greenhouse plants and the robot programmed to care for them.
The video installation reflects on the daily reality in Dutch greenhouses, where technology increasingly cares for plants, and goes a step further by asking the question: can machines understand the needs of living beings? This playful experiment allows gardeners, researchers and visitors to think about the future collaboration between humans, plants and smart machines.
In collaboration with robot technologist Charl Linssen.
Špela Petrič - The Archive of In-Operables
The Archive of In-Operables focuses on the hidden side of automation in the greenhouse. Numerous sensors monitor the development of life in the greenhouse and produce images intended for processing by machines. By making these images visible, hidden layers of work, employees and everything that lives in the greenhouse are revealed. The work also introduces subtle, poetic “contaminations” that break through the daily routine and make you think about who has control and freedom of movement in this high-tech system. How can people stay in touch with the living processes behind the data and automation?
Trouble with Labour
Trouble with Labour consists of an artistic intervention in strawberry cultivation at Trayplant in Bavel, the Netherlands. Together with experts from the horticultural sector, artists Ioana Lupascu, Anastasia Eggers, Špela Petrič and Margherita Soldati investigate the often invisible methods of care between workers, machines and plants within horticulture. Their interventions show how attention, maintenance and embodied knowledge shape innovation that goes beyond efficiency and productivity. How can care itself be recognised, strengthened and reshaped as the basis for a more just and resilient future in greenhouse horticulture?
