Entangled Others' (di)atomic garden Turns Radioactive Decay Into a Generative Force

Sofia Crespo and Feileacan, collaborating as Entangled Others, have developed (di)atomic garden, an interactive performance system that views radioactivity as both a creative and mutagenic force. This initiative draws inspiration from 'atomic gardens'—experiments conducted after World War II where plants were intentionally exposed to radioactive substances to trigger genetic mutations, some of which are still evident today. In this project, two biological archives—historical agricultural crop images and Antarctic marine plankton samples—are converted into digital genetic codes and integrated into a virtual garden. Here, synthetic organisms experience mutations due to radioactive decay, resulting in ever-evolving hybrid forms. The visuals produced do not represent actual organisms but illustrate contamination, mutation, adaptation, and interdependence, universal processes in ecosystems. This work not only encourages critical examination of radioactivity's impact on land and sea but also serves as a metaphor for a time when nuclear technology has resurfaced in both civilian and military contexts. Entangled Others continues to investigate sophisticated computational systems to highlight complex, often unseen phenomena in an aesthetically engaging manner.