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Looking at how the more-than-human world reflects, incorporates and senses change, and how we, humans, can measure, trace, understand these shifts and visualize them. We are interested in exploring how plants sense the world, adapt to change; we’re excited to dive into speculative botanical futures and discover how adaptive intelligence inspired by the botanical world looks like; and finally we are as usual open to new learnings and perspectives from the more-than-human world.
At Parsons School of Design, we will dive into Rhythms of Change, exploring the perception and mapping of dynamic processes. The afternoon will include a keynote speaker, a panel, and video contributions from international scientists and artists. Followed by a reception.
Program
Introduction: 4:00–4:10
Adam Vackar, Johanna Rietveld Anika Schroter and Harpreet Sareen
The afternoon begins with a welcome by organizers and designer Harpreet Sareen. Together, they will introduce the symposium’s conceptual frame. Building on the festival’s engagement with process philosophy and resilience thinking, this session invites the audience to consider how change is not only observed but also embodied—across physical systems, living organisms, and speculative infrastructures.
Session One: 4:15 – 4:55
Keynote by Daniel H. Rothman
Theoretical geophysicist Daniel Rothman explores Earth’s deep systemic transformations, focusing on the instabilities within the carbon cycle and their relation to planetary tipping points. Drawing from mathematical modeling and nonlinear physics, Rothman offers insight into how we might recognize signs of impending systemic change—and how planetary-scale feedback loops challenge static worldviews. His work lays the foundation for understanding transformation as an inherent condition of Earth’s living systems.
Session Two: Emergence in Living Systems
Johannes Jaeger
4:55–5:15
Biologist and systems theorist Johannes Jaeger introduces a dynamic view of life itself—as process rather than product. Addressing causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in evolutionary biology, he proposes a framework that sees organisms not as fixed units but as open-ended, evolving processes. His approach builds a conceptual bridge between physics and philosophy, inviting us to reimagine biology as an interpretive, generative field.
Session Three: Poetic Ecology and Subjective Knowledge
Andreas Weber
5:15–5:45
Biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber presents his theory of “poetic ecology,” in which organisms are seen as sentient, meaning-making beings. Rethinking the biosphere not as a system of inputs and outputs but as a realm of subjectivity and feeling, Weber proposes an ecology grounded in empathy, imagination, and embodied experience. His work deepens the notion of sensing to include inner worlds and emotional intelligence across species boundaries.
Short Break
5:45–6:00
Session Four: Eccentric Ecologies and Experimental Infrastructures
Tega Brain
6:00–6:20
Artist and environmental engineer Tega Brain presents her work at the intersection of ecology, data, and experimental design. From weather-driven networks to scent-based social systems, Brain creates playful yet critical infrastructures that expose the limits and contradictions of sensing, modeling, and control. Her work challenges normative engineering to make space for ambiguity, decentralization, and more-than-human agency.
Session Five: Hybrid Systems and Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen
6:20–6:40
Designer and researcher Harpreet Sareen introduces his research into biohybrid systems and convergent design. Drawing from electronics, plant biology, and material science, Sareen develops living sensors and responsive interfaces that reconfigure the boundaries between natural and synthetic. His work demonstrates new possibilities for designing in collaboration with living organisms, offering an embodied and ecological model for technological innovation.
Closing Conversation and Audience Discussion
Moderated by Harpreet Sareen
6:40–7:00
The symposium concludes with a collective conversation among the speakers and the audience. Reflecting on the themes of planetary transformation, biological agency, poetic attention, and techno-ecological design, the discussion asks: What new forms of perception do we need in order to live with change? How do we cultivate practices of sensing that are not only empirical but also imaginative, ethical, and responsive?
Speakers:
Daniel H. Rothman - Theoretical Geophysicist of Earth’s Complex Systems
Professor of Geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Co-Director of the Lorenz Center, where he studies how life and the physical environment co-evolve through the lens of mathematics and nonlinear physics. His work focuses on the carbon cycle, climate dynamics, and the emergence of global biogeochemical patterns, offering fundamental insights into the forces shaping Earth’s past, present, and future. Rothman joined MIT initially to strengthen its seismology program—only to carve new ground in complex systems, from fluid dynamics and pattern formation to mass extinction events. His models reveal how instabilities in the carbon cycle relate to planetary tipping points, contributing a theoretical framework to pressing environmental questions at planetary scale.
Tega Brain - Artist of Eccentric Ecologies & Experimental Infrastructures
Artist and environmental engineer whose work explores how ecology, data, and automation collide within technological systems. She creates experimental infrastructures, from networks controlled by weather, to data obfuscation tools, to a viral smell-based dating service, all probing how technologies shape agency in the age of climate crisis. She holds PhD from the Australian National University, developing the concept of eccentric engineering, a speculative design methodology for creating systems that prioritize ecosystemic rather than purely human goals. Her work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum, ZKM,
Smithsonian, ACCA, and HEK Basel. She is Industry Associate Professor at NYU and co-author of Code as Creative Medium (MIT Press).
Johannes Jaeger - Theoretical Biologist of Dynamic Systems
Systems biologist and natural philosopher investigating organisms as dynamic, evolving processes. Bridging evolutionary biology, complex systems theory, and the philosophy of science, he works at the intersection of mechanism and emergence, exploring questions around causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in biology. With a background in genetics, holistic science, and nonlinear modeling, Jaeger has led research at institutions including the Centre for Genomic Regulation and Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, and was affiliated with the Complexity Science Hub Vienna.
Harpreet Sareen - Designer of Biohybrid Systems & Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen is Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design, where he leads research at the intersection of biology, electronics, and material science. His concept of Convergent Design explores hybrid systems—living materials, bionic substrates, and ecological sensors that reimagine interaction and environmental intelligence. A graduate of the MIT Media Lab, Harpreet has worked with Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, and Ars Electronica, and other. He is a Berggruen Honorary Fellow, INK Fellow, and was named an MIT Innovator Under 35. His work bridges disciplines to shape responsive, nature-aligned technologies for the future.
Andreas Weber Biologist, philosopher, and nature writer with degrees in Marine Biology and Cultural Studies. Having collaborated with theoretical biologist Francisco Varela, his work rethinks organisms as subjects and the biosphere as a poetic, meaning-creating reality. In books such as The Biology of Wonder, Enlivenment (MIT Press, 2019), and Sharing Life (Boell Foundation, 2020), he develops a “poetic ecology” that understands feeling as the principle of all life, proposing that subjectivity and imagination are the foundations of existence. He teaches at the University of the Arts, Berlin, and the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo, Italy.
Looking at how the more-than-human world reflects, incorporates and senses change, and how we, humans, can measure, trace, understand these shifts and visualize them. We are interested in exploring how plants sense the world, adapt to change; we’re excited to dive into speculative botanical futures and discover how adaptive intelligence inspired by the botanical world looks like; and finally we are as usual open to new learnings and perspectives from the more-than-human world.
At Parsons School of Design, we will dive into Rhythms of Change, exploring the perception and mapping of dynamic processes. The afternoon will include a keynote speaker, a panel, and video contributions from international scientists and artists. Followed by a reception.
Program
Introduction: 4:00–4:10
Adam Vackar, Johanna Rietveld Anika Schroter and Harpreet Sareen
The afternoon begins with a welcome by organizers and designer Harpreet Sareen. Together, they will introduce the symposium’s conceptual frame. Building on the festival’s engagement with process philosophy and resilience thinking, this session invites the audience to consider how change is not only observed but also embodied—across physical systems, living organisms, and speculative infrastructures.
Session One: 4:15 – 4:55
Keynote by Daniel H. Rothman
Theoretical geophysicist Daniel Rothman explores Earth’s deep systemic transformations, focusing on the instabilities within the carbon cycle and their relation to planetary tipping points. Drawing from mathematical modeling and nonlinear physics, Rothman offers insight into how we might recognize signs of impending systemic change—and how planetary-scale feedback loops challenge static worldviews. His work lays the foundation for understanding transformation as an inherent condition of Earth’s living systems.
Session Two: Emergence in Living Systems
Johannes Jaeger
4:55–5:15
Biologist and systems theorist Johannes Jaeger introduces a dynamic view of life itself—as process rather than product. Addressing causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in evolutionary biology, he proposes a framework that sees organisms not as fixed units but as open-ended, evolving processes. His approach builds a conceptual bridge between physics and philosophy, inviting us to reimagine biology as an interpretive, generative field.
Session Three: Poetic Ecology and Subjective Knowledge
Andreas Weber
5:15–5:45
Biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber presents his theory of “poetic ecology,” in which organisms are seen as sentient, meaning-making beings. Rethinking the biosphere not as a system of inputs and outputs but as a realm of subjectivity and feeling, Weber proposes an ecology grounded in empathy, imagination, and embodied experience. His work deepens the notion of sensing to include inner worlds and emotional intelligence across species boundaries.
Short Break
5:45–6:00
Session Four: Eccentric Ecologies and Experimental Infrastructures
Tega Brain
6:00–6:20
Artist and environmental engineer Tega Brain presents her work at the intersection of ecology, data, and experimental design. From weather-driven networks to scent-based social systems, Brain creates playful yet critical infrastructures that expose the limits and contradictions of sensing, modeling, and control. Her work challenges normative engineering to make space for ambiguity, decentralization, and more-than-human agency.
Session Five: Hybrid Systems and Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen
6:20–6:40
Designer and researcher Harpreet Sareen introduces his research into biohybrid systems and convergent design. Drawing from electronics, plant biology, and material science, Sareen develops living sensors and responsive interfaces that reconfigure the boundaries between natural and synthetic. His work demonstrates new possibilities for designing in collaboration with living organisms, offering an embodied and ecological model for technological innovation.
Closing Conversation and Audience Discussion
Moderated by Harpreet Sareen
6:40–7:00
The symposium concludes with a collective conversation among the speakers and the audience. Reflecting on the themes of planetary transformation, biological agency, poetic attention, and techno-ecological design, the discussion asks: What new forms of perception do we need in order to live with change? How do we cultivate practices of sensing that are not only empirical but also imaginative, ethical, and responsive?
Speakers:
Daniel H. Rothman - Theoretical Geophysicist of Earth’s Complex Systems
Professor of Geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Co-Director of the Lorenz Center, where he studies how life and the physical environment co-evolve through the lens of mathematics and nonlinear physics. His work focuses on the carbon cycle, climate dynamics, and the emergence of global biogeochemical patterns, offering fundamental insights into the forces shaping Earth’s past, present, and future. Rothman joined MIT initially to strengthen its seismology program—only to carve new ground in complex systems, from fluid dynamics and pattern formation to mass extinction events. His models reveal how instabilities in the carbon cycle relate to planetary tipping points, contributing a theoretical framework to pressing environmental questions at planetary scale.
Tega Brain - Artist of Eccentric Ecologies & Experimental Infrastructures
Artist and environmental engineer whose work explores how ecology, data, and automation collide within technological systems. She creates experimental infrastructures, from networks controlled by weather, to data obfuscation tools, to a viral smell-based dating service, all probing how technologies shape agency in the age of climate crisis. She holds PhD from the Australian National University, developing the concept of eccentric engineering, a speculative design methodology for creating systems that prioritize ecosystemic rather than purely human goals. Her work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum, ZKM,
Smithsonian, ACCA, and HEK Basel. She is Industry Associate Professor at NYU and co-author of Code as Creative Medium (MIT Press).
Johannes Jaeger - Theoretical Biologist of Dynamic Systems
Systems biologist and natural philosopher investigating organisms as dynamic, evolving processes. Bridging evolutionary biology, complex systems theory, and the philosophy of science, he works at the intersection of mechanism and emergence, exploring questions around causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in biology. With a background in genetics, holistic science, and nonlinear modeling, Jaeger has led research at institutions including the Centre for Genomic Regulation and Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, and was affiliated with the Complexity Science Hub Vienna.
Harpreet Sareen - Designer of Biohybrid Systems & Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen is Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design, where he leads research at the intersection of biology, electronics, and material science. His concept of Convergent Design explores hybrid systems—living materials, bionic substrates, and ecological sensors that reimagine interaction and environmental intelligence. A graduate of the MIT Media Lab, Harpreet has worked with Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, and Ars Electronica, and other. He is a Berggruen Honorary Fellow, INK Fellow, and was named an MIT Innovator Under 35. His work bridges disciplines to shape responsive, nature-aligned technologies for the future.
Andreas Weber Biologist, philosopher, and nature writer with degrees in Marine Biology and Cultural Studies. Having collaborated with theoretical biologist Francisco Varela, his work rethinks organisms as subjects and the biosphere as a poetic, meaning-creating reality. In books such as The Biology of Wonder, Enlivenment (MIT Press, 2019), and Sharing Life (Boell Foundation, 2020), he develops a “poetic ecology” that understands feeling as the principle of all life, proposing that subjectivity and imagination are the foundations of existence. He teaches at the University of the Arts, Berlin, and the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo, Italy.
Looking at how the more-than-human world reflects, incorporates and senses change, and how we, humans, can measure, trace, understand these shifts and visualize them. We are interested in exploring how plants sense the world, adapt to change; we’re excited to dive into speculative botanical futures and discover how adaptive intelligence inspired by the botanical world looks like; and finally we are as usual open to new learnings and perspectives from the more-than-human world.
At Parsons School of Design, we will dive into Rhythms of Change, exploring the perception and mapping of dynamic processes. The afternoon will include a keynote speaker, a panel, and video contributions from international scientists and artists. Followed by a reception.
Program
Introduction: 4:00–4:10
Adam Vackar, Johanna Rietveld Anika Schroter and Harpreet Sareen
The afternoon begins with a welcome by organizers and designer Harpreet Sareen. Together, they will introduce the symposium’s conceptual frame. Building on the festival’s engagement with process philosophy and resilience thinking, this session invites the audience to consider how change is not only observed but also embodied—across physical systems, living organisms, and speculative infrastructures.
Session One: 4:15 – 4:55
Keynote by Daniel H. Rothman
Theoretical geophysicist Daniel Rothman explores Earth’s deep systemic transformations, focusing on the instabilities within the carbon cycle and their relation to planetary tipping points. Drawing from mathematical modeling and nonlinear physics, Rothman offers insight into how we might recognize signs of impending systemic change—and how planetary-scale feedback loops challenge static worldviews. His work lays the foundation for understanding transformation as an inherent condition of Earth’s living systems.
Session Two: Emergence in Living Systems
Johannes Jaeger
4:55–5:15
Biologist and systems theorist Johannes Jaeger introduces a dynamic view of life itself—as process rather than product. Addressing causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in evolutionary biology, he proposes a framework that sees organisms not as fixed units but as open-ended, evolving processes. His approach builds a conceptual bridge between physics and philosophy, inviting us to reimagine biology as an interpretive, generative field.
Session Three: Poetic Ecology and Subjective Knowledge
Andreas Weber
5:15–5:45
Biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber presents his theory of “poetic ecology,” in which organisms are seen as sentient, meaning-making beings. Rethinking the biosphere not as a system of inputs and outputs but as a realm of subjectivity and feeling, Weber proposes an ecology grounded in empathy, imagination, and embodied experience. His work deepens the notion of sensing to include inner worlds and emotional intelligence across species boundaries.
Short Break
5:45–6:00
Session Four: Eccentric Ecologies and Experimental Infrastructures
Tega Brain
6:00–6:20
Artist and environmental engineer Tega Brain presents her work at the intersection of ecology, data, and experimental design. From weather-driven networks to scent-based social systems, Brain creates playful yet critical infrastructures that expose the limits and contradictions of sensing, modeling, and control. Her work challenges normative engineering to make space for ambiguity, decentralization, and more-than-human agency.
Session Five: Hybrid Systems and Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen
6:20–6:40
Designer and researcher Harpreet Sareen introduces his research into biohybrid systems and convergent design. Drawing from electronics, plant biology, and material science, Sareen develops living sensors and responsive interfaces that reconfigure the boundaries between natural and synthetic. His work demonstrates new possibilities for designing in collaboration with living organisms, offering an embodied and ecological model for technological innovation.
Closing Conversation and Audience Discussion
Moderated by Harpreet Sareen
6:40–7:00
The symposium concludes with a collective conversation among the speakers and the audience. Reflecting on the themes of planetary transformation, biological agency, poetic attention, and techno-ecological design, the discussion asks: What new forms of perception do we need in order to live with change? How do we cultivate practices of sensing that are not only empirical but also imaginative, ethical, and responsive?
Speakers:
Daniel H. Rothman - Theoretical Geophysicist of Earth’s Complex Systems
Professor of Geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Co-Director of the Lorenz Center, where he studies how life and the physical environment co-evolve through the lens of mathematics and nonlinear physics. His work focuses on the carbon cycle, climate dynamics, and the emergence of global biogeochemical patterns, offering fundamental insights into the forces shaping Earth’s past, present, and future. Rothman joined MIT initially to strengthen its seismology program—only to carve new ground in complex systems, from fluid dynamics and pattern formation to mass extinction events. His models reveal how instabilities in the carbon cycle relate to planetary tipping points, contributing a theoretical framework to pressing environmental questions at planetary scale.
Tega Brain - Artist of Eccentric Ecologies & Experimental Infrastructures
Artist and environmental engineer whose work explores how ecology, data, and automation collide within technological systems. She creates experimental infrastructures, from networks controlled by weather, to data obfuscation tools, to a viral smell-based dating service, all probing how technologies shape agency in the age of climate crisis. She holds PhD from the Australian National University, developing the concept of eccentric engineering, a speculative design methodology for creating systems that prioritize ecosystemic rather than purely human goals. Her work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum, ZKM,
Smithsonian, ACCA, and HEK Basel. She is Industry Associate Professor at NYU and co-author of Code as Creative Medium (MIT Press).
Johannes Jaeger - Theoretical Biologist of Dynamic Systems
Systems biologist and natural philosopher investigating organisms as dynamic, evolving processes. Bridging evolutionary biology, complex systems theory, and the philosophy of science, he works at the intersection of mechanism and emergence, exploring questions around causality, agency, and the limits of reductionism in biology. With a background in genetics, holistic science, and nonlinear modeling, Jaeger has led research at institutions including the Centre for Genomic Regulation and Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, and was affiliated with the Complexity Science Hub Vienna.
Harpreet Sareen - Designer of Biohybrid Systems & Convergent Ecologies
Harpreet Sareen is Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design, where he leads research at the intersection of biology, electronics, and material science. His concept of Convergent Design explores hybrid systems—living materials, bionic substrates, and ecological sensors that reimagine interaction and environmental intelligence. A graduate of the MIT Media Lab, Harpreet has worked with Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, and Ars Electronica, and other. He is a Berggruen Honorary Fellow, INK Fellow, and was named an MIT Innovator Under 35. His work bridges disciplines to shape responsive, nature-aligned technologies for the future.
Andreas Weber Biologist, philosopher, and nature writer with degrees in Marine Biology and Cultural Studies. Having collaborated with theoretical biologist Francisco Varela, his work rethinks organisms as subjects and the biosphere as a poetic, meaning-creating reality. In books such as The Biology of Wonder, Enlivenment (MIT Press, 2019), and Sharing Life (Boell Foundation, 2020), he develops a “poetic ecology” that understands feeling as the principle of all life, proposing that subjectivity and imagination are the foundations of existence. He teaches at the University of the Arts, Berlin, and the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo, Italy.
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