Symbiotica Vol.1: The Message of the Lichen

Project Description

Symbiotica Vol. 1: The Message of the Lichen is a multi-user virtual reality experience that invites participants to explore symbiosis as a vital principle. Through an immersive web-based environment, users embody different symbiotic microorganisms—fungus, alga, or cyanobacteria—that collaborate to form a fictional lichen.

The piece offers a metaphor for interdependence and the invisible bonds that sustain life, drawing from posthuman and ecofeminist perspectives. Using an interface accessible via computers, smartphones, tablets, or VR headsets, participants navigate a rocky digital landscape undergoing a process of lichenification, guided by meditative sounds and cooperative movement.

My role was co-director and creative technologist, responsible for developing both the narrative and the immersive experience within Mozilla Hubs (RIP). Created in collaboration with Juan Ferrer and Selva González during the CPH:LAB at the CPH:DOX 2021 festival, where it also premiered. Symbiotica was previously awarded Best Project at The Booster Stereopsia International in Brussels, Belgium, in 2019.

Project Info

• Role: Co-direction, creative technologist
• Technologies: Blender, Mozilla Hubs
• Date: 2021

Credits

• Co-creators: Natalia Cabrera, Juan Ferrer, Selva González
• Executive Producer: Selva González
• Screenwriter, Art Director: Juan Ferrer
• Creative Technologist: Natalia Cabrera
• Voice Actress and Music Composer: AnaRosa Ibáñez
• Scientific Advisors: Fungi Foundation, Giuliana Furci, Alejandro Huereca
• 3D Designer: Seba Rodar
• Graphic Designer: Rosario Ureta