Shlain and Goldberg Exhibition Explores Trees as Timelines of Human Knowledge

Artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg present 'Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology' at di Rosa Art in San Francisco through April 11, 2026. The exhibition uses salvaged wood sculptures with pyrography inscriptions and digital installations to examine how tree rings can document cultural, scientific, and philosophical histories. Key works include 'Tree of Knowledge,' featuring nearly 200 questions etched into eucalyptus, and pieces that map feminist history, Jewish history, and mathematical equations onto wood surfaces. The show integrates technology like machine learning and generative AI to connect ecological patterns with human inquiry, suggesting nature and innovation are interconnected systems. An event with Krista Tippett is scheduled for March 26, 2026.