Project

Invisible Arrivals

Country

China

An artistic research project that explores the ecological presence and public perception of non-native marine species in the Port of Rotterdam — reframing these so-called “invasives” as travelers navigating the dense infrastructures of global trade. It investigates how maritime logistics, climate change, and economic flows shape biodiversity, and how these entanglements challenge our human desire for static, rooted ecosystems.

In the name of protecting biodiversity, people label thriving organisms as “invasive,” “alien,” or “non-indigenous.”. But what systems define invasiveness? Who gets to decide what belongs, and on what grounds? Focusing on marine species that have arrived through Rotterdam — one of the world’s busiest ports — the project traces how global routes produce local ecologies. In collaboration with GiMARiS taxonomists and port ecologists, Di Fang documented and visualized the arrival and adaptation of these species through fieldwork, microscopy, mapping, and film. The work translates into a physical exhibition and public engagement tools that invite reflection on what it means to belong — not just for humans, but for all life. Through this lens, Invisible Arrivals invites a redefinition of “roots” and calls for an expanded ecological kinship — one that recognizes the complex, shifting relationships that constitute our shared world.