Claudio Filho - Linchs

This artwork "Lichns_" is an cartography on lichens mutualistic relations. The investigation of lichens has raised questions about how they can guide us to inhabit the Earth through mutualistic, symbiotic associations of dependency on different ecosystems.The artwork was part of the "Art and Tecnology: Multiculturalism and tecnoresistence" (Arte e tecnologia, multiculturalismo e tecnoresistecias) project.
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莫見乎隱,莫顯乎千微
Não há nada mais visivel daquilo que é secreto, e nada mais manifesto daquilo que é minimo
Doutrina do meio de Zisi (Yuk Hui, p.137)

The world doesn't fit in our own cognitive paradigms and narratives modes of explanation and this is why speculation is necessary. Steven Shaviro, discognition (2018)

What stories are behind the organisms that integrate the ecosystems? And this stories, alongside with artists and scientists stories, can together propose new speculations about complex systems beyond the objectivity and hegemony of human thought?

Linchs_ is a cartography investigation on lichens mutualistic relation. Lichens are organisms formed through symbiotic mutualism between an alga (or cyanobacterium) and fungi. Present from around 2.5 billion to 543 million years ago, this association generally consists of a unicellular pleurostrophic green alga, such as Trebouxia, Pseudotrebouxia, or Myrmecia, or usually cyanobacteria like Nostoc or Scytonema. The fungal partner can be an Ascomycete (about 98%) or Basidiomycete (about 2%). However, in all cases, the appearance of the fungus in the lichen is quite different from its morphology as an individual growing separately. Each lichen species has a different fungal species, and it is based on this species that lichens are classified. About 15,000 to 20,000 species of lichens are described, according to different classification systems. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats: glaciers, rocks, trees, leaves, deserts, etc. In many situations, they settle in inhospitable places with few nutritional resources, such as rocks.

The artwork consisted of three Movements:

a) Pursuit and Collection:

This phase involves the active search for and gathering of materials, data, or subjects relevant to lichens mutualistic relations.

b) Investigation, Speculation, and Fabulation:

In this movement, the collected materials undergo artistic processes. The investigation delves into their origins, interrelations, and hidden narratives, fostering a deep analytical understanding.

c) Cataloging, Interventions, and Assembly of Digital Boards:

The final phase entails organizing the findings systematically through cataloging—classifying and archiving materials to ensure coherence and accessibility. Interventions involve artistic or conceptual alterations, transforming the lichens data into an extended art installation.