The Invisible
Roots

The most important part of a forest is hidden beneath the ground. Trees do not thrive because of what we see, but because of the intricate network of roots that connects them beneath the surface.
My artistic practice explores the relationship between natural structures and the human body. Over the years, the image of the spine has gradually evolved from an anatomical form into a metaphor for inner resilience, memory, and the ability to continue growing despite change. Eventually, I realized that the human spine and the root system of a tree perform the same essential function - they sustain life while remaining almost invisible.

The Invisible Roots is a phygital installation that combines biomorphic sculpture, generative projection mapping, and virtual reality. The installation features a composition of translucent sculptural forms inspired by tree roots, vertebrae, neural networks, and speculative living organisms. The projection is a living generative system that continuously evolves through visitors' participation.

Each visitor will be invited to reflect on a single question:
"What helps you stay grounded when life becomes fragile?"
Participants will receive a small translucent sculptural element resembling either a root or a fragment of a vertebra. Using markers, they will write a single word or a short phrase, place, feeling, or memory that has become a source of inner support in their lives. They will then place
this element into the installation, allowing the physical structure to grow collectively over time.

At the same moment, every contribution activates the generative system. A new luminous root emerges within the projection, connecting with others to form an ever-expanding network of relationships. 
The experience continues in VR. Visitors enter an underground world filled with glowing interconnected roots, each carrying a real story. In mixed reality, these digital roots continue to grow beyond the physical sculpture, dissolving the boundary between the tangible and the virtual and transforming both into one living organism.

Inspired in part by the philosophy of Kintsugi, the project reimagines mending as the creation of new connections. For me, Visible Mending is the moment when invisible sources of inner strength become visible through collective participation.
Like a forest sustained by its roots, The Invisible Roots will continue to grow with every visitor, becoming a living archive of resilience, hope, and mutual care.
At the end of the experience, each participant will be invited to take a tree seed as a symbolic continuation of the artwork beyond the exhibition space. In this way, the invisible forest of shared stories has the potential to gradually become a real forest: a living act of care that extends the artwork into the world.