In Search of the QR_ebra Plant (2013)

Single-channel video, 12 min | Produced during a residency at DAÏMÔN, Gatineau, QC

In Search of the QR_ebra Plant is a short narrative video developed during a month-long residency at DAÏMÔN in Gatineau, Québec. The work originated from extensive daily fieldwalks along regional trails, where observations of plant life and site-specific conditions informed a script exploring contemporary intersections of ecology and technology.

The video is structured around three brief vignettes, each voiced by a different character who exemplifies a distinct cultural response to environmental change. The first focuses on a DIY seed-archiving initiative that frames individual, localized action as a protective strategy. The second follows a hobbyist preparing plant tissue samples for hypothetical off-planet repositories, reflecting an attitude that positions space as a potential site for future biological archives. The third centres on a marketing professional searching for a genetically modified plant whose QR-code-like pigmentation is viewed as a commercial asset for emerging biotech applications.

Together, these scenarios outline a set of contrasting approaches to ecological futures, ranging from conservation to speculative escape to commercial exploitation. The narrative loops back on itself, emphasizing the ongoing and unresolved nature of these debates and the difficulty of locating stable positions within rapidly shifting technological and environmental contexts.

The work draws from the artist’s own research at the time, including experiments with plant tissue culture, chimeric plant forms, and alternative materials for 3D printing. While the project began as a preliminary sketch for a larger locative-media installation, it now serves as an early articulation of themes that continue to inform the artist’s practice: field-based inquiry, multispecies relations, and critical engagement with emerging biotechnologies.