still life ecologies (2024-25)



Hybrid media / performance, TEI ‘25, Bordeaux FR, Lisbon, PT


Arduino microcontroler, biofeedback sensors, wiring, electrodes, acrylic support, relay module, breadboards, hacked EMS/TENS device, 9 V batteries, real-time data processing, custom programming


Still Life Ecologies is a performative installation that speculates on the possibility of a plant influencing its own portrayal, through a co-created process with a human partner — exploring interactions between human and non-human bodies.


The work manifests in a setup in which a plant “takes over” the muscles of the artist trying to portray it. In this co-performance, the boundaries between observer and observed begin to blur, suggesting a shift in authorship where vegetal agency disrupts traditional hierarchies of representation.​




An "X" shaped electronic device, created through open-source tools and hacking, is the mediator between human and non-human biological bodies. By employing bio-feedback sensors, microcontroller processing, and an EMS/TENS (Electronic Muscle Stimulation/Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit, electrical signals emitted by the plant can affect the arm and hand movement of the human.






The drawing process unfolded as a performative negotiation between control and disruption. With pen in hand and the acrylic sheet as the drawing plane, the artist engaged in a suspended gesture—one that resisted mastery and demanded attention to instability. Each line emerged not as a direct extension of will, but as a trace of interference, hesitation, and recalibration. What was drawn was not what was seen, but what was felt—through involuntary twitches, micro-interruptions, and the shifting weight of resistance.



Throughout Western art history, plants have been traditionally represented as objects, symbols, or resources, reflecting a broader cultural context that placed humans above other forms of life. In visual arts, the "still life" genre contributed to the commodification of nature, and the representation of vegetable life as static. Today, a shift towards a post-anthropocentric framework in contemporary discourse opens windows to explore alternative narratives focused on plants’ ecological agency and intrinsic value.


The work navigates historical visual regimes, revisiting the conceptual principles of the "gaze", as articulated in art and media studies. By extending this framework to consider how plants have been represented across cultural and historical contexts, it proposes investigating the notion of a "plant gaze".



Photos and videos: © Guilherme Aguiar, Mónica Mendes, Patrícia Reis 2024-25



Exhibition at Tei'25