Epiphytic Memory: A Cognitive Assemblage of Plant-Human-Technology

Abstract Epiphytic Memory is an ongoing project motivated by the symbiotic homing relations of plants. The artist 3D-printed porcelain LIDAR scans of ancient trees from Aotearoa New Zealand’s southern rainforests, situating them in hybrid environments in Ōtepoti Dunedin as scientific interventions. These site-specific sculptures function both as memories and as potential bioscaffolds for new life. The project uses augmented reality to help viewers understand the depth of time involved within the work through an interactive gallery installation that simulates plant growth. In this article, the artist contextualizes the project through scientific research and Indigenous Māori thought on plant relations and intelligence. Multiple forms of sentience connect within the project, and the artist uses philosopher N. Katherine Hayles’s ideas of planetary cognitive ecology and cognitive assemblages to understand the ecological value of this connected sentience and how these connections might facilitate plant-human dialogues.