The collaborative project “Mitochondrial Ontologies: Deep Time and the Digital” (2022-ongoing) explores the female assigned at birth body as a host for both human and non-human life through the use of mitochondria as a metaphor. The project focuses on symbiosis as a means of co-creation, drawing inspiration from Lynn Margulis’ endosymbiotic theory of evolution, which emphasizes cooperation.

Over the course of six months, nine artists participated in workshops that involved practicing butoh, cultivating bacteria from their bodies and other domestic spaces, and developing a shared repertoire of butoh-inspired movements. The aim was to create a live performance that would generate audio and visual records for an AI-driven video installation for the project. Each artist also recorded their own reflections, images of growing bacteria, poetry, and movements to develop other choreographies. Further, the workshops provided an environment where the participants could exchange ideas and resources, which facilitated symbiotic interactions between them.

Participating artists: Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Matilda Aslizadeh, Maria Cristina Castro Mina, Lois Klassen, Salome Nieto, Alessandra Santos, Sarah Shamash, prOphecy sun, Freya Zinovieff, with Steve DiPaola and Jay Tseng.