During the PECS-III conference, there will be art exhibitions in the lobby on the 3rd and 4th floors: 

• Terra Studio: Lobby on the 4th floor

• Shannon: Lobby on the 3rd floor

Terrarium: An Artistic Lens on Socio-Ecological Regeneration

Terrarium is a 21-minute immersive installation that unfolds through seven meticulously interwoven narratives representing Life, Cosmology, Future Path, Love, Empathy-Symbiosis, Ancient Wisdom, and Death. These narratives are projected on a modular multi-screen platform, which is adaptable to each exhibition space, emphasizing the harmonious integration of diverse perspectives to foster a healthy and resilient social ecology.

Created by Terra Sapiens Studio, this project is a radical act of imagination, hope, and creation, aiming to provoke necessary cultural shifts for socio-ecological regeneration. By substituting old narratives with positive representations of the future, Terrarium employs visual storytelling to explore viable pathways for healing our environments. The characters—archetypes that resonate on both universal and topical levels—guide audiences through a narrative landscape where science, traditional knowledge, and artistic expression converge.

Our production adheres to stringent environmental strategies to minimize our ecological footprint. These include reducing travel by utilizing public and human-powered transportation, sourcing green energy, and minimizing data storage needs to enhance energy efficiency. We are committed to achieving carbon neutrality without relying heavily on off-setting, reducing waste by eliminating single-use materials, and using compostable alternatives and upcycled, recycled, and vegan materials. Over 100 vegan meals are provided during production, underscoring our commitment to sustainability.

Terrarium aligns with several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Our goals are multifaceted:

• Viable Positive Futures: We highlight science-based and observationally supported (including indigenous knowledge) pathways that integrate multiple solutions to address interconnected socio-ecological systems.
• Intrinsic Relationships with Nature: Rather than exploiting nature for its ecological services, we emphasize its intrinsic value.
• Decolonizing Methodologies: Our approach involves empathic listening and acknowledges the equal value of diverse cultural groups in both the ethnosphere and ecosystem.
• Research as Action: The creation process serves as a laboratory for implementing the values and principles we advocate, ensuring that our practices are eco-responsible, gender-balanced, and culturally diverse.
• Decolonization of the Gaze: By including team members from various cultural backgrounds, we demonstrate the power of inclusion in finding comprehensive solutions to artistic and ecological challenges.
• Humanization of Technology: Terrarium positions technology as a tool for enhancing empathy and well-being, moving beyond technocratic solutions to emphasize interactivity and public engagement.
• Gender Equality and Ontological Values: We highlight the importance of female values such as compassion, empathy, nurturing, and community building as essential to our society's evolution and sustainability.

Through a blend of film, performing arts, sound, and spatial design, Terrarium invites audiences into a dialogue conducive to nurturing a healthier social ecology, making each installation not just a viewing experience but a participatory journey towards ecological and social transformation.

DAMIAN BIO:

Damian Siqueiros is the founder and creative director of Terra Sapiens Collective, an artistic laboratory focused on researching and implementing socio-ecological sustainable artistic practices. Integrating western science, indigenous knowledge, environmental justice, and circular design, the collective emphasizes community engagement and operates across three main areas: Art for impact, education, and cultural mediation.

Siqueiros is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans photography, video, multimedia installations, and art direction. He has participated in over 60 exhibitions globally, including at the Art Museum of the Americas, Frost Museum in Miami, MMCA Goyang Residency in South Korea, Carrousel du Louvre, and New York's Tambaran Gallery. His collaborations extend to Vogue Latin America, Elle Mexico, Esquire Mexico, and notable cultural and environmental organizations such as Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Margie Gillis Foundation, Age of Union, and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

As a dedicated educator, Damian promotes sustainable socio-ecological practices within artistic discourse. Since 2018, he has led over 40 workshops on Art for Impact in Asia, Europe, and North America, advocating for a blend of art and activism that drives environmental and social change.

TERRA SAPIENS: 

Terra Sapiens operates across three main areas: Art for impact, education, and cultural mediation as art. We focus on long-term impact through narratives that foster environmental and social healing, and on immediate results through educational and cultural mediation initiatives.

The collective was established in 2021 with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, CALQ, and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, marked by our first major multimedia installation, Terrarium. This project brought together 30 collaborators from over 10 different cultural backgrounds, diverse gender identities, and ages, embodying our commitment to non-hierarchical collaboration and open communication. The creation and implementation of cultural mediation protocols with participatory practices were vital in fostering an environment where artists could transcend traditional western standards and realize their full potential.

Terrarium illustrates the powerful role of empathic storytelling and art in driving and implementing positive cultural shifts. Our educational initiatives focus on imparting tools for integrating sustainable socio-ecological practices into artistic discourse. Since 2018, Damian has conducted over 40 workshops on Art for Impact across Asia, Europe, and North America, furthering our mission of cultural mediation and education.