Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology
As we confront escalating environmental concerns and pervasive societal inequities, trees remind us of the interconnectedness of our histories, our landscapes, and our collective futures. Harnessing the timeless power of trees and their importance in Jewish thought and tradition, this art installation by artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg—presented in conjunction with PST ART—draws inspiration from the complex landscape of Los Angeles and the science of tree dating.
In Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology, artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg draw inspiration from dendrochronology (the science of tree-ring dating), Artificial Intelligence, and Jewish texts and traditions to re-examine human narratives and their relationship to nature. This exhibition features six tree-ring sculptures that reimagine our past and collective futures in new ways, a video portrait of Los Angeles that draws from open-source ecology datasets, and an invitation for visitors to create personal tree tributes using AI software. The artworks explore the complex history, diverse cultural tapestry, and dynamic landscape of Los Angeles while fostering community reflection on the role we all share in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.
About the Artists
Partners in life and frequent creative collaborators, Bay Area-based artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg have worked together on art projects and numerous documentaries, including the Emmy-nominated series The Future Starts Here, which includes episodes “Why We Love Robots,” “Robots, Botox, and Google Glass,” and “Tech Shabbats.” They received multiple awards for their documentary short, The Tribe, “an unauthorized, unorthodox ... history of the Jewish people and the Barbie doll,” which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and continues to be screened worldwide.
Shlain is an interdisciplinary artist whose works in film, sculpture, and performance explore ideas in feminism, neuroscience, philosophy, technology, and nature.
Goldberg is an artist and professor of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he questions the boundaries between the digital and natural worlds.
Curatorial Acknowledgments
Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology is co-curated by Associate Curator Vicki Phung Smith and Guest Curator Selma Holo.
Presented in conjunction with the Getty’s PST ART initiative: Art & Science Collide, the exhibition and its related programs were made possible by the generous support of the Getty and the Raskin Family Foundation in memory of Jay Raskin.