“All islands are trees” (quote from the collection Desert-Archipelago, by the Mauritian poet Edouard Maunick), invites us to reconnect with the living and with our territories. To (re)capture the poetry of what binds us, in order to face the ecological, social, and political urgencies that we are going through.

If solutions seem to elude us, the exhibition suggests, here, to decentralize ourselves. To rid ourselves of a perception of the world where human interests are also those that destroy it, to find a rightful place in the ecosystem of life. To root ourselves—again—because at the scale of islands, we can think of new models, more respectful and sustainable.

In this constantly changing world, marked by the relentless evolution of technological tools, let’s take a moment to observe. We already draw from the natural world to heal ourselves, develop our communication networks, or even build tools and systems. Among all species, trees stand out for the symbiotic relationships they maintain with the living. Beyond their cultural and symbolic values, associated with traditions, beliefs, and rites, they communicate, transmit, provide habitat, and nourish other species. They are, by their ability to produce oxygen, the sine qua non condition of our survival.

Great witnesses of human frenzy—and if they held the answers to our challenges and thoughts for rethinking our societies?

The artworks of the 12 regional and international artists present in this exhibition are all attempts to interpret this reading. By exploring the potentials of art, science, and technology, these hybrid creations invite to a collective experience and reflection, allowing us to become aware of what makes us both fragile and resilient, singular and multiple, and to extend our roots towards a common goal.