LASER TALKS IN TEMPE: The Art of Listening: Interspecies Stories, Sensory Worlds, and Radical Kinship

How can artists help us hear the voices of dolphins, forests, and coral, and what happens when we truly listen?

Moderated by: Jenny Strickland

EVENT INFO

When: May 8, 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM GMT

Where: Online via ZOOM

Access Info: https://asu.zoom.us/j/85383784118

Join us for a special edition of LASER Talks in Tempe featuring the culminating presentations of the 2024–2025 Imagination Fellows: Matheus Montanari, Silke Weissbach, and Æwell. These visionary artists have spent the past nine months developing bold, interdisciplinary projects exploring interspecies communication, ecological consciousness, and the radical power of imagination.

From the collaborative fishing practices of dolphins and humans in Brazil, to immersive experiences of coral bioacoustics and color, to the poetic rendering of nonhuman languages, these artists invite us to reimagine what it means to live in relationship with each other and the planet.

This LASER will open with 10-minute presentations by each Fellow, followed by a moderated dialogue led by Jenny Strickland (Leonardo-ASU Program Manager) and an open Q&A with attendees. We’ll explore what it means to honor the dignity of all beings, how grief and beauty inform ecological work, and how imagination can be a tool for planetary health.

SPEAKERS BIOS

Matheus Montanari (Brazil)
Matheus Montanari is a Brazilian artist and researcher who explores the intersection of art and technology from a collaborative and decolonial perspective. As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of São Paulo and an experienced participant in global exhibitions, Matheus brings his expertise to his project focused on the collaborative fishing practice between humans and dolphins in two coastal inlets in southern Brazil. This unique and endangered practice exemplifies a rare multi-species community relationship currently threatened by socio-environmental factors. Through experiments in sound and generative art, Matheus will create digital and physical structures that expand sensory perceptions, using a cross-disciplinary approach to connect local communities, researchers, artists, and a global audience. 

Silke Weissbach (UK)
Silke is a multidisciplinary artist who integrates painting, sculpture, and video installations to explore themes of light, color, and the natural world. In her project, "Venere’s Song," Silke embarks on an interdisciplinary exploration of collective intelligence, bioacoustics, and ecological consciousness. Merging scientific inquiry with mythological and poetic perspectives, the project transcends linguistic and material boundaries, offering a transformative, multi-sensory experience that unveils the complex communication systems within marine environments. By integrating AI and VR technologies, Silke’s work aims to inspire reflection on themes such as love, connection, and the essence of interspecies communication, challenging us to reconsider our relationship with the Earth and its inhabitants. 

Æwell (USA)
Named for the Old English word meaning “the source of a spring,” æwell (ah-well) is a de-anthropocentric collective arts project that aims to uplift the voices and needs of land and land-keepers. Their project, “Wild Minds,” delves into the profound connection between language and empathy by imagining a world where humans and non-human entities—such as animals, forests, and rivers—communicate through shared languages. This hybrid novella-length work will incorporate creative nonfiction sketches of imagined nonhuman languages, dictionary definitions, etymologies, and interactive workbook spaces, providing readers with a “sandbox” for exploring how language shapes consciousness and empathy, ultimately challenging anthropocentric perspectives.

SPONSORS

LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, and technologists together for informal presentations, performances, and conversations with the wider public.

The Leonardo-ASU Initiative is a partnership between Arizona State University and Leonardo/ISAST (the International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology). Together, we support hybrid creative research, experimental publishing, and public engagement that bridges disciplinary boundaries and explores the futures of planetary health and human imagination.