Cesar & Lois is an art collective that probes humanity’s relationship to the planet by blending technological, biological and social systems. Consisting of Lucy HG Solomon (California) and Cesar Baio (Brazil), the collective “develops projects that examine sociotechnical systems, attempting to challenge anthropocentric technological pathways while linking to intelligences sourced in biological circuitry.” Cesar & Lois have been recognised by the 2024 Aesthetica Prize, 2023 Lumen Prize, 13th Mercosul Biennial, 2019 NTU Global Digital Art Prize, among others.

Their Black Box residency project, Being hyphaenated (Ser hifanizado), is an artwork-as-ecosystem that performs the complex interactions across species that are the basis for a balanced planet. The sculpture consists of an array of cocoons hosting communities of living microorganisms which are connected to each other by their respiration. Being hyphaenated is being developed in conversation with Kathleen Treseder of UC Irvine’s Treseder Lab.

Photo courtesy of Cesar & Lois.