In an extra-solar world, there are exoplanets. And on one of them, there is an exo-forest named Symbiose. In this very exo-forest live thousands of inhabitants: the exo-plants, the exo-animals, the exo-fungi and other exo-creatures unidentifiable by human definitions. Are they nomads? Sedentary? Why are they here? And what about us? Did we come to observe… or do we already belong to this place without knowing it?
Explorers groping forward between shapes that escape us, or silent inhabitants, integrated from the very beginning into this strange equilibrium?
Perhaps this forest doesn't ask to be understood, but simply to be inhabited. And perhaps that by losing ourselves in it a little, we'll end up finding a place. A way of existing differently.
And you, who are you? An inhabitant or a newcomer? How do you intend to interpret the reality of this world?
We've described most of the territories that make up this exo-forest — will you find enough to satisfy your curiosity?
The map
The names of the places
Le Cocon
A zone of body and sensory discovery
Within the exo-forest Symbiose nestles a very particular region, hairy and silky, called the Cocon. The living beings occupying this space seem to have crafted this zone with cloud silk, syrup cotton and dreamy softness. It seems the inhabitants of the Cocon mainly developed their senses and their sensoriality to communicate. Indeed, workshops, talking circles and performances seem to be fairly common forms of collective gathering in this tender space.
In this micro-world there is a gravity that attracts not mass, but... the SENSITIVE. Thus, every concept belonging near or far to the sensitive dimension: poetry, relationships, intimacy, discriminations, taboos, sensuality, emotions, sexuality, emotional life, sensory exploration, tenderness, games & body, vulnerability, connection to the intangible, to the spiritual, non-verbal communication... are magnetically drawn toward this voluptuous region, as if the gravitational force of the sensitive were too strong for any attempt to escape it.
So you, noble creature about to enter the adventure of the exo-forest Symbiose, dig into your DNA, search your cellular memories and see whether you carry within you: an activity, a workshop, a performance or simply a topic of discussion around the sensitive that you would like to share.
If so, please feed this region with your nectar, offer the inhabitants of the Cocon a little of what touches you personally. Write your art or your curiosity directly in the program board. The Cocon thanks you in advance.
K-PAX
Your breathable extra-terrestrial exo-forest zone
K-PAX, a SPECTACULAR biome, in the literal sense of the word. In this extraordinary taiga*, in the middle of a relatively warm exo-forest, K-PAX can reach absolutely glacial temperatures, hence its little nickname of "CHILL" zone. But don't stop at appearances, because after millennia of evolution, its inhabitants have developed absolutely unprecedented warming techniques. Laughter, art and conversation. On K-PAX time dances, laughter sings and the closeness of other beings warms hearts. Here you must adapt to climate change. And to do so, you must adapt to cultural change. Entering this taiga means entering the culture of relaxation and entertainment.
Its multi-shaped and multi-talented inhabitants occupy this zone as a place of meeting and amusement. Sometimes lying on the ground counting the stars, sometimes standing on the sacred platform called the "stage", it's not rare to see creatures gesticulating to provoke varied emotions in other living beings. For that is precisely the magic of the K-PAX taiga: to warm themselves, living beings understood they had to circulate energy between bodies — and what better than emotions, laughter, tears to connect bodies and souls?
The spectacular biome K-PAX is a mysterious place, sometimes a sacred place, sometimes a place of reunions, sometimes a laboratory of experimentation.
If curiosity overcomes your fears, pay a visit to this taiga that survives through living art — or should we say through the art of living. For being alive is an art in itself.
Whether you climb onto the sacred stage or prefer to savor the delights offered by K-PAXIAN encounters, you will surely find something to sublimate your lost hours in this chill and spectacular biome...
* taiga: The taiga is a boreal coniferous forest found in cold temperate climate zones (the boreal ecozone). It forms a terrestrial ecosystem. In short, a very cold forest.
Extrasolar
Your zone for celebrating in music — a strong-signal zone
Have you ever gone adventuring within a zone you thought you knew? At the very center of the symbiosian exo-forest lies a wormhole* that, should you dare to take it, will lead you straight onto a star known as Extrasolar. Make no mistake: although it is indeed a sun outside our solar system, this extrasolaris is nothing like the sun we know. And this, despite appearances… For although the beings populating this star also feed on its energy to survive, although its core also attracts surrounding bodies toward it, and although it also stands as the center of its planetary system… In reality neither its UV rays nourish, nor its mass attracts other bodies, nor a physical law makes it the center of a system. None of that. On Extrasolar the first law, the most important one, the only one, the one that explains these three phenomena and all the others, is none other than MUSIC.
So you, symbiote explorer of this wild land, of an already staggering exo-system, prepare to cross this wormhole and get sucked in, like all the others, by the magnetism of this extrasolaris. Careful, it is a sun — take your sunscreen, your polarized glasses and don't stay too long, lest your cells boil over.
To get out, there is only one solution: go back through the wormhole that will bring you in an instant to the exo-forest of Symbiose. And how to find this wormhole? Remember your primary needs: rest, food, hydration, coolness, social connection, hygiene and safety. You will immediately see the outlines of this spatio-temporal portal light up — the one that bears the poetic name of wormhole.
A typical day on Extrasolar begins at [TIME] and ends at [TIME].
Outside these hours, we call this period the acoustic night. In this localized night, only the melodies of acoustic instruments, the voices and sounds of the magical creatures populating this ball of fire may resonate. Will you dare to approach these nocturnal sounds and mingle… your vibration and your instruments?
If you wish to fuel this ball of fire that feeds the whole Symbiose universe, write your DJ/SET idea in this board. Please bring your instruments to share your musical culture with this extraordinary star.
It is an excellent offering to the whole universe to make your echo ring out through Extrasolar.
* Wormhole: A wormhole is a hypothetical astrophysics object that would link two distinct regions of space-time, acting as a tunnel or a bridge.
Base H0138 (Sanibouffe)
Your zone for satisfying your primary needs
Let's not be afraid to call a cat a cat: you are entering the wreck of what was once the scientific research base H0138 of the exo-planet Sanibouffe. Some fifty years ago, researchers from this planet attempted to integrate the exo-forest Symbiose, its different biomes, its different climates. A research base had stopped here, to try and understand the laws governing the exo-forest so dense and rich of Symbiose. The fate reserved for these researchers perfectly illustrates why the forest was named Symbiose: what lives here mingles, inexorably. Thus, the research base and its members mutated and merged with their environment. Base H0138 also bears its name well, for it very quickly imposed itself as the survival base of the exo-forest you walk on today.
Central crossroads of primary needs, base H0138 is a space of evacuation, transformation and transcendence. Here, one form becomes another. What clung to a body learns to let go and offers itself to the earth. Here our "waste" is recycled into another resource. A welcome zone for the mutations you will face in this forest. For Symbiose is no restful forest: you will have to learn to drain your new body, clean it, arrange it, heal it, repair it and above all pimp it to the max to adapt to the varied climates of the exo-forest.
This base H0138 is also the place to fill your new body with fuel, the energy with which the beings of this exo-forest function. A pit stop, one could say. At first, perhaps, you'll feel a slight addiction to the fuel provided. That's normal — you'll quickly understand that the resources growing on H0138 are of rare purity (due to the symbiosis between several planetary cultures). You'll probably never have tasted fare of such vivid quality. Enjoy it, but don't overdo it.
Base H0138 will be your resource place — take the greatest care of it.
Heyoka
Your tree-source zone — Workshops
Heyoka, or should we call it the shaded oasis, the lung of the forest, the song of comfort. Heyoka is the name of this ensemble of immense trees, nurturing mothers of inner radiance. With its prestigious exo-trees, Heyoka will offer your Symbiose experience not only a moment of respite in your warm adventure, but also a moment of infusion of knowledge… In this oasis, the keywords are LEARNING and DISCOVERY. Here creatures come and go according to a very particular culture, akin to a market. An immaterial market, one in which money has no place…
Indeed, while some creatures offer teachings or instants of beauty, workshops, talking circles, ceremonies and other subtle innovations, other creatures receive these teachings and these moments. In exchange, they offer their attention, their gratitude and their presence. Traveling under the canopies of Heyoka, you'll quickly understand that both sides need each other to exist.
Thus, we invite you to explore Heyoka with the benevolent and humble gaze we grant to those who work for a harmonious world. For on Heyoka, beyond any intention of transmitting knowledge or emotions, it is truly about excuses to build community.
If the desire calls you to contribute to this shaded oasis that circulates knowledge, then write your idea for a workshop, a talking circle, a ceremony or another subtle innovation in this board. Heyoka is an ensemble of trees, a community of trees, and a community only exists because it is fed by its members. So dare to feed it as it feeds you with its shade!
Vessel Module KAKLUX8
Expo+ Cuddle Puddle
O you, hybrid creature, prepare to enter a vessel that will suit your genetic makeup. Admire and feel with your eyes and your touch. The vessel module KAKLUX8 is one of the most important vessels decorated from the Pre-Symbiotic era by the number and aesthetic quality of its paintings and engravings, mainly mystical representations. The dating of the vessel's materials is subject to debate and it is not yet possible to attribute the creation of the works to a single culture. The vessel module KAKLUX8 is one of the emblematic sites of pre-symbiotic art of ancient civilizations. It is one of those rare moving spaces where the works can change with the gaze of their spectators.
And as the visual is not enough, the geology of the vessel module KAKLUX8 is composed of a sedimentation of mattresses, making the ground of incomparable comfort.
Here, you do not only travel in time and space, with these Pre-Symbiotic works. Thanks to this extraordinary stacking of mattress layers, the vessel module KAKLUX8 also makes you travel through the senses.
It invites you to explore the warmth of a conversation with a being from the present or from another era, to discover the depth of feeling connected to a story that surpasses you, or to creatures unknown to you until now. It also invites you to enjoy the soft murmurs that sing around you while you reflect on the meaning of existence. Whether you embrace in an eight-limbed cuddle or prefer to have your intergalactic space to yourself, you are welcome in the chill art gallery, the vessel module KAKLUX8.
