Mitochondrial Ontologies: Deep Time and the Digital is an ongoing collaborative project which uses the concept of the mitochondria as a metaphor to explore the female body as a generative host of human and non-human life. Drawing from Lynn Margulis’ (1986) endosymbiotic theory of evolution, which emphasizes cooperation rather than competition, the project centers on symbiosis as a co-creation method.
Over six months, nine artists met, practiced butoh and shared their experiences growing bacteria from their bodies and other domestic spaces. The workshops aimed to build a collective repertoire of butoh-inspired movements to choreograph a live performance to generate audio and visual records to develop an AI-driven video installation as the basis for Mitochondrial Ontologies. In parallel, each participating artist recorded audio reflections, images of growing bacteria, poetry, and movements to develop other choreographies. These resources were used to create additional projects and foster participant collaborations. The workshops became rich environments, hosts of energies, affects, ideas and resources that have inspired symbiotic interactions between the participants.
Participating artists: Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Matilda Aslizadeh, Maria Cristina Castro Mina, Lois Klassen, Salome Nieto, Alessandra Santos, Sarah Shamash, prOphecy sun, Freya Zinovieff, with Steve DiPaola, Jay Tseng and Reese Muntean.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts
