Beyond their sophisticated chemical communication systems, plants can perceive and respond to sound vibrations, emitting signals that are imperceptible to the human ear. Similarly, bacteria are in constant communication—with each other, with us, and with their environment—shaping metabolism and ecosystem balance. And yet, we tend to reduce these life forms to a purely utilitarian role: enemies to eliminate or resources to exploit.
But what if we stopped seeing ourselves as the “end consumers” of the ecosystem and instead recognized our place within an interconnected web of relationships? Can we imagine a way of relating to plants, fungi, and bacteria that goes beyond our own benefit—one that is rooted in the pleasure of connection, exchange, and shared existence?
TALkins W/ Ester Azzola invites us to overturn this perspective. This performative event becomes a rhizosphere—the layer of soil surrounding roots, where microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi form essential bonds with plants. In the same way, TALkins transforms into a space for sensory exploration, where sound, soil, food, and living bodies become tools of communication. A moment to refine new ways of listening and rediscover uncharted connections with the other inhabitants of our planet.
During the gathering, we will create an installation of threads and paper around the roots, bringing to life a “convivial rhizosphere.” Each participant will be invited to leave a trace: a memory, an experience, or an emotion linked to food—specifically, to pasta. This collective archive will then be transcribed, becoming a symbol of the emotional heritage we carry around this fundamental nourishment.
The experience is conceived and directed by Ester Azzola, chef with a background in biology, nutrition, and neuroscience. Food becomes the vehicle for an ecosystemic message through a collaboration with Felicia, which will accompany the communal banquet.
The event will also feature a vinyl-only DJ set by Dj Tsura, carefully tuned to frequencies designed to engage with the plant world. A musical journey through the sounds of Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, George Duke, Makoto Ozone, Michael Naura Quartet, and Pharoah Sanders.
Finally, Anna Paparozzi, a landscape architect, will curate an installation dedicated to the plant ecosystem and soil, revealing the invisible life that inhabits it.
→ A collection of seemingly familiar connections, but rewritten and reassembled to create new relationships as we live them. TALkins: Talking about making kins is a series of meetings where artists, curators, designers, philosophers, scientists, and experts in interspecies relationships come together to discuss “making kin.” Each TALkins event is a unique experience: from moments of participatory reflection to hands-on practice, from collective or intimate sensory moments of direct interaction with food.
