PROJECT MRT—Natureless Solution

This exhibition unveils an installation based on the experiment and research conducted by Australian-based artists Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, and Steve Berrick.

Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr are pioneers of bio-art based on tissue culture engineering, having exhibited numerous experimental works both in Japan and internationally. Their experimentation also stems from their activities at SymbioticA, where they frequently collaborate with Steve Berrick.
The exhibition showcases their interest in exploring recent trends in food production systems. At the venue, they present a set of input-dependent elements commonly found in Agricultural Technology (AgTech), designed not to harvest food but to harvest data.
Through this contestable food system, the artists aim to raise critical questions about our trajectory toward a “Natureless Solution” ̶ a future of food production independent from nature.

Understanding the rift: Data as our new food ingredient

The term MRT in the title stands for Metabolic Rift Technologies, a concept coined by the artists and inspired by the Metabolic Rift theory proposed by John Bellamy Foster. This theory describes a fundamental rupture in the ecological relationship between human society and the environment. The theory itself is an expansion of Karl Marx’s observation of the disruption of nutrient cycles caused by industrial agriculture and urbanization.
This exhibition unveils the process of PROJECT MRT, an experimental initiative by the artists Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, and Steve Berrick in collaboration with YCAM . The venue is conceived metaphorically as a “lab” for conducting scientific experiments and research. Multiple circular food-production systems that are commonly found in AgTech and in regenerative agriculture practices ̶ such as compost heating system and hydroponic systems ̶are installed and are operated thoroughly during the exhibition period.
Additionally, a control room that continuously harvests data in real time from various sensors attached to the systems monitoring parameters, such as temperature, pH level, voltage, etc., is set up as the central element of the exhibition.
Complementing these installations, a range of programs ̶including hands-on workshops and guided tours ̶are offered, creating a structure that allows visitors to engage systematically with the exhibition’s themes.

The possibility of independence from nature?

Within the venue, in collaboration with local educational institutions, researchers, and producers, installations such as soil-free hydroponic
system and solar panel systems are set up ̶technologies that replace natural resources to enable food production. Other systems include
aquaponic setups ̶in which aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics are combined to grow fish and plants simultaneously ̶ and devices
that culture mouse-derived muscle cells into artificial meat and convert their nutrients into fertiliser. Multiple technologies are combined and operated during the exhibition to explore pathways toward a “Nature-less Solution”, a future of food that functions independently of nature.

More data, less food?

All food-production devices in the exhibition are equipped with custom-developed sensors. They measure in real time various environmental indicators: heat generated during compost decomposition; concentrations of CO₂ and methane produced by microbial respiration and fermentation; nitrogen-cycle data related to animal husbandry; and more. These are used to monitor decomposition efficiency, ecological balance, and optimal environmental conditions. As data is generated and accumulated day by day during the exhibition, the process becomes a critique of the contemporary condition in which data itself is valued over ecological reality in food production.