If trees could speak, what help would they ask from technology?

Krzysztof Wronski (alias Chris) is a researcher, designer, and artist working at the intersection of emergent and pressing challenges. During his artistic residency with the Dear2050 program organized by the association Climanosco, Wronski collaborated with researchers from the EPFL Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL). His work, alongside an installation by artist and performer Maja Renn, is featured in the Arboreal Futures exhibition, which runs from November 13, 2024, to January 5, 2025, at EPFL Pavilions.

Drawing from the latest research on how climate change endangers trees, forests, and the communities that depend on them, Wronski's artistic interventions aim to improve conditions for living trees while sparking conversations about their needs. His concept-driven works explore social and ecological challenges, encouraging participation and the imagining of potential solutions.

Inspired by what he calls “Tree-Centred Design Workshops", a reflection on human-centred design methods, Wronski examines how technological and innovation processes could evolve to address the needs of trees and forests.

“In these workshops, I invite tree and forestry experts as well as designers, artists, and community members to familiarize themselves with the various threats trees face. Together, we explore concepts and relationships between trees and people, prioritizing the needs of trees. What interventions can we imagine—whether feasible, fantastical, or somewhere in between—that might relieve the stress threatening trees? In what ways should humans get involved—or not—as we become more aware of the scale of peril facing other species? What role should technology and innovation play, if any?”

Artistic Residency

In July 2023, Wronski spent a month with the PERL team, participating in fieldwork, conducting interviews with researchers, and leading workshops.

“Working with the PERL lab at EPFL was incredibly rewarding and stimulating,” Wronski recalls. “I learned so much about trees in a deeper, more informed way, involved the researchers in creative exercises and feedback sessions, and witnessed firsthand the incredible commitment and work ethic of the team.”

“During field visits, we’d wake up at 4:30 a.m. to take measurements in any weather, drive to Montpellier and back to install equipment, and collaborate on creative solutions to everyday problems in remote research sites. These experiences inspired me to bring some of their methods into my own work.”

Aerial Relocation Assistance

One of Wronski’s installations in Arboreal Futures explores playful approaches to assisted population migration—relocating seeds to new areas as trees face inhospitable conditions in southern latitudes. Using a commercial drone, a remotely operated basket, and biodegradable parachutes made of kraft paper and straw, Wronski envisions a way to move acorns from oak trees near urban areas to locations where they are more likely to thrive.

“The same tools and methods could even be used as a form of political statement,” Wronski suggests. “For instance, by dropping acorns onto a golf course to challenge the overly human-centered management of landscapes.” The exhibition displays some of these artistically crafted parachutes hanging from the ceiling, alongside a video showing acorns being dropped on a golf course.

“Feels Like 1950”

Another installation was inspired by Wronski’s visit to the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research near Zurich. There, he discovered the Model Ecosystem Facility (MODOEK), where researchers simulate warmer and drier conditions for native beeches and oaks to study their tolerance to stress under future climate scenarios.

“In the warmest and driest chambers, you don’t need to be a scientist to understand the severity of the situation—the trees aren’t doing well,” Wronski notes.

This experience led to his video piece, Feels Like 1950, featured in the exhibition. The installation involves a structure built around a tree to reduce its thermal and hydraulic stress by recreating environmental conditions from 1950. The system continuously measures and displays differences between the structure’s interior and the ambient outdoor environment, mimicking a research experiment, but with the artist himself watching over the tree.

“Feels Like 1950 isn’t meant to be a solution,” Wronski explains. “It’s a reflection on our impact on other species, how we prioritize them, and the resources it takes to protect them. With rising temperatures and drier conditions, many trees won’t be able to survive where they are now. This threatens not only individual species but also the ecosystem services they provide to nearby communities.”

Migrating Tree

The exhibition also features Migrating Tree, a prototype vehicle designed to give trees mobility, allowing them to seek more favorable conditions.

“While trees can shift their range incrementally through reproduction, the pace of climate change outstrips their ability to adapt,” Wronski explains. “Unlike animals and humans, who can physically migrate, trees cannot move during their lifetime. As conditions worsen, native tree species may disappear from entire regions.”

The prototype is a step toward a broader project Wronski is developing with Barcelona-based engineer Pietro Rustici: an autonomous moving platform to relocate trees northward over time, tracking climate shifts from Switzerland to Sweden.

Protest Mushrooms

Finally, another whimsical yet impactful element in the exhibition is Protest Mushrooms, interactive devices that react to movement and give voice to protest harmful land-use practices compromising forest ecosystems. The sounds produced feature ’nSchuppel, a Swiss collective that revisits traditions like Naturjodel. "By blending ancient cultural practices with new perspectives, they bring attention to what is often overlooked or considered immutable."

In addition, a video shows the mushrooms placed in a supermarket parking lot near a forest, highlighting the impact of construction projects on biodiversity loss.

“Solutions we are actually missing"

All these installations provoke reflection on the fragility of plants and humanity’s responsibility to care for them. What did the PERL team think of Chris Wronski's artistic interpretations of their field of research?

"I think we all agreed that this has been a great experience," says Janisse Deluigi, a PhD student at PERL. "It's important to do this kind of project because we often stay in our bubble. We publish scientific papers, but they remain in the academic field, and we don’t have the means to reach the general public. Forests are beautiful places that we all love, but climate change is going to affect them significantly. What I really liked about Chris's work is that he imagines the solutions we are actually missing."