Shape Shifter
A Portal Between Post-Apocalyptic Visions and Dystopian Futures
By artistic duo Alex Besta & Felix Seelos
Drifting through the forest, attuned to the whispers of the earth. Shapes emerge, captured and transmuted—scanned, printed, milled, and reassembled. A portal takes form, aligned with the elusive and shifting materiality of a possible future.
In an era where the boundaries between nature and culture increasingly blur, this work explores how we might understand nature as an active participant in shaping our future. At its heart stands a portal—an interactive concept serving as a bridge between humanity and nature, opening new perspectives on nature's agency and capacity for action.
The installation invites viewers to contemplate the evolving relationship between the organic and the technological, where digital processes meet natural forms in a dance of transformation. Through this lens, we witness the emergence of new hybrid realities, where the distinction between the natural and artificial dissolves into a fluid spectrum of possibilities.
Commissioned by UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe for art KARLSRUHE 2025 under the theme "The Future is Today"
With generous support from Werner Stober Foundation.