Around a Tree: Overview

Around a Tree: Connecting People and Plants Through Art and Science

Originally presented by Más Arte Más Acción for Documenta15 in Kassel, Germany, in 2022, Around a Tree brings together art and science to explore humanity’s connection with trees and plants amidst the climate and biodiversity crises.

In 2023, evolutionary biologist Professor James Richardson approached MAMA to see how to creatively address the impact of climate change on plants, during the XX International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Madrid. It seemed appropriate to adapt its circular table, which then evolved into a “marathon of voices” – connecting people and plants – across global events.

In 2024, Around a Tree traveled to key international gatherings: starting with the Irish Plant Science Meeting in Cork, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation meeting in Kigali, the International Botanical Congress in Madrid, and the Edinburgh Art Festival at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Its final stop that year was at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, that featured events at Nature House with partners including Earthrise, the Atrato Guardians, Centro Siembra, and Global Witness. Along the way, soundscapes by Miguel Navas enriched the dialogue among artists, scientists, Indigenous leaders and communities, inspiring collective action to protect biodiversity.

In 2025, Around a Tree continues in Guainía, Colombia, with Around the Flor of Inírida, celebrating the region’s unique flora as a legacy of COP16. The project also explores potential collaborations with the São Paulo Biennial, COP30 in Belém, and beyond, fostering deeper connections between people and plants while emphasizing the urgency of safeguarding our planet’s biodiversity.

Partners

Led by Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) Around a Tree partners include: Atrato Guardians, environmental defenders from Chocó, Colombia; Centro Siembra, Colombian advocates for legal rights for nature and communities; Earthrise Studio, a global media platform that tells stories to transform climate, culture, and consciousness; Global Witness, an international organization exposing corruption in natural resource exploitation and campaigning for justice; and Project Everyone, an initiative dedicated to accelerating progress towards a fairer, greener, and more just world by 2030.

Academic, artistic, and scientific collaborators include Andrés Velez, filmmaker; Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, biologists Lucia Lohmann and Juan Posada; Beth Kaplin, conservation scientist, professor, and researcher at the University of Rwanda; Brigitte Baptiste, Colombian cultural landscape ecologist and biodiversity expert; Esteban Cruz, filmmaker; Fernando Arias, co-founder of MAMA and artist; Jonathan Colin, co-founder of MAMA, project coordinator; Louise Hopkins, artist; Mateo Suarez, project manager and artist; Miguel Navas, sound artist; Prof. James Richardson, University College Cork, and Sina Ribak, leaders in botanical science and arts/ecology, respectively; Roy Erkins, Maastricht University; the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Edinburgh Art Festival; SDG Student Hub University of Rwanda; Tuyeni H Mwampamba, a research professor at the Institute of Ecosystems and Sustainability Research. Among others, these collaborators and contributors have enriched the dialogues and interviews and evolving soundscape that are integral to the project.

Table built by Atelier Van Lieshout as part of the MAMA.DOC Space at documenta15.