Symbiotopics in 2026 features a conversation with ecological artist Thijs Biersteker. Working at the intersection of art, science, and technology, Biersteker collaborates with leading scientists to create data-driven artworks that translate complex environmental research into immersive installations and experiences. By combining artificial intelligence, sensors, and large-scale datasets with kinetic systems, living mycelium, and reclaimed ocean plastic, his work builds a distinctive bridge between scientific inquiry and artistic expression.

In this episode, Biersteker discusses how artistic practice can make invisible ecological processes tangible—from climate systems and biodiversity loss to the ethics of data, technology, and environmental intervention. Together with host Daphne Fruhmann, he explores how close collaboration with scientific research reshapes both artistic responsibility and public understanding, and what it means to transform urgent environmental data into embodied experiences. Together, they reflect on the role of art in times of ecological crisis, exploring how collaboration across disciplines can open new ways of sensing, understanding, and responding to planetary change.

📸Portrait Photocredits: Alice Jacquemin
📸Origin (2025), Thijs Biersteker, Photocredits Thijs Biersteker